The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the World Bank (WB) have released a 246-page publication titled “The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology 2014”.
According to the publishers, the book illustrates the progress in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in 214 economies around the world. The book provides comparable statistics on the ICT sector from 2005 to 2012 across a range of indicators which is designed to enable readers compare economies.
The book notes that since the late 1990s, access to information and ICTs has seen tremendous growth, driven primarily by the wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets. It said: “Mobile communications have evolved from simple voice and text services to diversified innovative applications and mobile broadband Internet. By the end of 2013, there were an estimated 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions globally.”
It revealed that the number of individuals using the Internet has risen constantly and reached an estimated 2.7 billion while the number of fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions reached almost 700 million at the end of 2013.
In its view, “The impacts of ICTs cross all sectors. Research has shown that investment in information and communication technologies is associated with such economic benefits as higher productivity, lower costs, new economic opportunities, job creation, innovation, and increased trade. ICTs also help provide better services in health and education, and strengthen social cohesion.”
The book also includes indicators covering the economic and social context, the structure of the information and communication technology sector, sector efficiency and capacity, and sector performance related to access, usage, quality, affordability, trade, and applications.
To download the book, visit: http://data.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/little_date_book_ict_2014.pdf
