How can communities benefit from universal broadband access? A Cisco analysis of material in the annual Global Information Technology Report, produced jointly by the World Economic Forum and INSEAD business school, points to mobility as the answer.

Now in its eighth year, the Global Information Technology Report charts the IT-related development of 134 nations using a measure called the Networked Readiness Index (NRI).

It is no coincidence that the countries ranked at the top of the NRI league table all score highly in terms of productivity, innovation and living standards, and one characteristic they all share is a high level of broadband penetration, making universal broadband a critical policy issue.

To find out more about the report and why mobility could play a critical role in future rankings, Cisco caught up with one of the report's authors, INSEAD Dean of External Relations Soumitra Dutta, and Robert Pepper, Cisco Vice President of Global Policy and Government Affairs.

What are the most significant trends to have emerged in the latest edition of the Global Information Technology Report?

Soumitra Dutta: Overall what you see is that the Scandinavian countries continue their dominance and the United States, the only large economy in the top 10, improves. China makes a dramatic improvement and overtakes India. And the Middle East has improved significantly.

The thing that stands out is that there are things that are underpinning the Scandinavian countries' excellence, such as a focus on education, a stable and supportive business climate and a stable geopolitical context.

They have put in place a set of contexts which provide useful learning for other countries; it is not just that they are small. 

What contribution has Cisco made to this year's Global Information Technology Report?

Robert Pepper: In addition to sponsoring the report and supporting the healthy debate it generates, we have contributed a chapter which offers a typology of Internet stages and a map to place countries' IT development in perspective and provide a basis for charting a course forward.

The stages and the information and communications technology (ICT) map underscore the importance of balancing infrastructure investments with improvements in the 'ecosystem',notably ICT policies and market regulation. 

This is confirmed by evidence that connectivity is not solely determined by income levels, making it possible for lower-income countries to 'leapfrog' in ICT development. 

"Connectivity is not solely determined by income levels, making it possible for lower-income countries to 'leapfrog' in ICT development."

— Robert Pepper, Cisco Vice President of Global Policy and Government Affairs

There is also a framework for assessing and developing 'net strategies, which consists of six keystones that countries need to ensure are solidly in place to enable rapid spread of networks and full utilization of their economic and social potential.

Having made progress on the keystones of a 'net strategy, countries can then set out to achieve the goal of Internet ubiquity with all its implications for collaboration and Web 2.0 productivity and inclusiveness. 

This requires ensuring, in particular, the wide availability of a core network; spectrum availability and other means to allow a diverse system of capillaries extending to the last mile to emerge; and proliferation of Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of users. 

Why does Cisco believe mobility could be important in providing universal broadband access?

Robert Pepper: Broadband provides unprecedented opportunities for people to communicate with others, access information, improve education and healthcare, enter new markets, expand the reach of businesses, and so much more.

And when we talk about broadband, we are really talking about mobile broadband, enabled by a global wireless infrastructure built on an IP network platform.

Mobility represents the only way for the world to achieve ubiquitous broadband access, allowing the power of the network to scale beyond the limits of traditional hard-wired environments.

What lessons can policy makers draw from the latest Global Information Technology Report?

Soumitra Dutta: In terms of the public sector, the big danger is that the moves of recent years do not get halted. There is an economic crisis and organizations might get into a defensive mode, which would be a shame since we now have all kinds of new possibilities emerging.

So the big challenge is to keep this impetus up. When credit is difficult for poorer countries to get, they might redirect technology investments elsewhere. However, it is important to note also that technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for higher NRI.

We have years of empirical data and we have found that the most important determinant of NRI is the political and regulatory climate:in other words, is the environment supportive?

You can have universal broadband but if you do not have the right regulatory framework then people will not take advantage of it. So political and regulatory support is the main predictor; the second is higher education and people's skills levels.

What role do IT skills play in determining networked readiness?

Robert Pepper: Best practice countries have a solid base of technical skills in the area of ICT, and a good level of broader science and math education. 

The range of targets for interventions to improve ICT-relevant skills goes from sharply focused training and certification to pipelines of university graduates in engineering and IT fields. 

Building basic ICT skills in the population at large is another hurdle to be overcome for many countries.