U.S. ranked second on useful connectivity scorecard

The United States is one of the highest, but no longer the highest ranking country in terms of “useful connectivity,” according to a new report authored by Professor Leonard Waverman of the University of Calgary in conjunction with consulting group LECG and commissioned by Nokia Siemens Networks.

The study, now in its third year, aims to provide relative measures of useful connectivity
for 50 countries. The term “useful connectivity” is defined as a combination of infrastructure, complementary skills, software and informed usage that makes information and communications technology (ICT) a driver of productivity and economic growth.

The U.S. received a score of 7.77, based on six rankings, each of which rates the top performer in a category as a 10, with all other countries rated in relation to the top performer. The six criteria included business, government and consumer infrastructure, as well as business, government and consumer usage and skill levels. The U.S. which was ranked number one in last year’s study, was number two this year, after Sweden, which had a ranking of 7.95.

“There is a beginning of a gap in what was once the essence of U.S. leadership in most industrial and services sectors—education and skills,” said Waverman.

The other countries in the top five were Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. The lowest scoring country was Pakistan at 1.53. Other countries in the bottom five were India, Kenya, Nigeria and Bangladesh.