U.S. Takes Top Spot in Global Connectivity Study Commissioned by Nokia

WASHINGTON, February 1, 2010 - The United States took the top spot on the 2009 Connectivity Scorecard, a research project linking increased national technological connectivity with socio-economic transformation.

Professor Leonard Waverman of the London Business School and economic consulting firm LECG put together the scorecard focusing on 50 countries using metrics such as national usage, skills and infrastructure.

Waverman found that the United States leads more categories than any other nation – its person computer penetration of businesses is excellent and the nation takes top prize in secure server deployment. However, he found that consumer infrastructure does not score as highly for the United States as its other metrics and its “broadband and 3G penetration are average.”

The study found that fiber is being deployed on a “much wider” basis than in most other countries in the survey, but the United States still is “significantly behind” the leaders in the area.

The United States scored 7.71 points to lead national, useful connectivity. Sweden scored second place in the study with 7.47 points, followed by Denmark (7.18), Netherlands (6.75), Norway (6.51) and the United Kingdom (6.44). The bottom five nations were Nigeria with a score of 1.30, Pakistan (1.54), Bangladesh (1.60), Kenya (1.75) and Indonesia (1.87).

LECG recently found in a broader study, which was commissioned by Nokia Siemens Networks, that increased national broadband deployment could have a significant impact on productivity and economic growth.

The study, which was part of the Connectivity Scorecard research program, focused on the impact of broadband in 15 of the 30 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It asserts that: “with the right skills and infrastructure in place, broadband strategies could increase national productivity and growth by up to 15 percent. This productivity improvement will increase [gross national product] without increasing resources used in production.”

For example, the United States could increase its GDP by $100 billion with an increase of 10 additional broadband lines per 100 individuals, according to the study.

Waverman will discuss his findings and offer an update on the state of global connectivity at an evening event hosted by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business on Feb.10 at its Washington campus. His talk will address timely issues such as whether the United States will be able to maintain its pre-eminence amongst innovation-driven economies and discuss what’s the wake-up call for the world’s governments and businesses.