UK's digital economy standing 'damaged by lack of clear strategy'

19:14 5th July 2010

The increased indecisiveness of its development strategy has damaged the UK's standing as a digital economy, according to Denis McCauley, director of global technology research at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The UK dropped one place in this years EIU digital economy rankings, which reflect how countries maximise the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for economic and social benefit.

"We have downgraded the UK's scores this year in the area of government policy and vision," Mr McCualey said.

This is due to "the greater uncertainty surrounding the government's overall digital development strategy, its e-government strategy and other areas of digital leadership," he said.

He went on to say that the UK's connectivity and technology infrastructure have also caused its digital currency to drop, as a result of relatively low broadband and mobile quality.

However, Mr McCualey said the UK's digital performance also suffered because of "significant improvements" in digital quality in South Korea and Taiwan.

Separately, a study published this week by Broadbandchoices.co.uk showed UK download speeds have improved, but slow internet connections still top the list of broadband complaints.

Posted by Mark Thompson

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