ITU Report Analyzes Revolution In Internet Of Things, Big Data, Cloud, AI

The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today released its annual report on the global information society, this year providing detailed analysis of the transformational “revolution” underway involving the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. It also ranked countries by their level of ICT development. Hint: the Western Hemisphere did not fare so well.

The ninth edition of the annual Measuring the Information Society Report was released today in Geneva.

“This revolution will unfold,” the report states according to a press release, “over the coming decades with opportunities, challenges, and implications that are not yet fully known. To harness these benefits, countries will need to create conditions supportive to the deployment of next-generation network and service infrastructures. They will also have to adopt policies that are conducive to experimentation and innovation, while mitigating potential risks to information security, privacy, and employment.”

“This year’s report shows that ICTs have the potential to make the world a better place and contribute immensely to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said in the release. “However, despite the overall progress achieved, the digital divide remains a challenge which needs to be addressed. This is important because information and communication technology and the digital economy have the potential to transform the lives of billions of men, women and children. The digital revolution can transform nations — entire continents – but only if digital resources are accessible. This report will help to support countries to do just that.”

Some things are obvious. Deep divides remain between those who have or use and don’t have or use ICT access, including a gender divide. Mobile phones continue to rise over fixed lines. Younger people are online more than older people. But there are also numerous in-depth looks at trends and looks at the impact of rising innovations.

And Iceland scored highest in the ICT development index, followed by Asian and European countries. Switzerland was third, the United States 16th. The top 20 list is: Iceland, Korea, Switzerland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway,Luxembourg, Japan, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, France, United States, Estonia, Singapore, Monaco, Ireland.