United Kingdom requires stronger push in consumer and government segments

The United Kingdom delivers a respectable performance but slips to eighth spot on the Connectivity Scorecard 2010. Strong business investments and usage boost its performance but the country continues to perform modestly in the consumer and government segments.

Businesses in the UK invest highly in ICT hardware, software and services. The country also fares well in terms of proportion of enterprises with a web presence and the share of e-commerce in total business transactions. Its performance in consumer usage and skills is similar to other leading countries, with consumers using internet services frequently including online retail.

Consumer infrastructure is a key weakness for the UK, and despite good broadband penetration among households, the quality of its broadband infrastructure as measured by download speeds is lagging behind several countries, including Japan, Korea, Sweden, the US, and Canada. Other weaknesses include modest business investments in ICT-related R&D and low scores in government related metrics including relatively low broadband access in schools.

There is a growing realization in the UK about the gaps in its consumer infrastructure and the need to correct these to advance in today’s digital economy. The government’s Digital Britain initiative, which has been the subject of much debate in the country, is expected to lead to further development of its ICT infrastructure.

United Kingdom Connectivity Performance by Scorecard Component