Sweden, Ireland and Britain Leaders in IT - The US in 7th place...

yahoo.com ^ | Mon Dec 13, 2004 | MATT MOORE

[crushelits]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Businesses in Sweden, Ireland and Britain top the list when it comes to the use of information technology to improve their operations, according to a country-by-country survey. The United States, which was in the top three last year, slipped four places.

The study by U.S. consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, uses its own "Sophistication Index" to determine how eagerly, and capably, countries have embraced information technology, including wireless access and Internet access.

Commissioned by Britain's Department of Trade and Industry, the survey by the New York-based consulting firm was based on telephone interviews from April-July of nearly 8,000 businesses in Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Ireland, South Korea, Sweden and the United States.

Sweden rose from fifth place to first from 2003 to 2004 because of the Scandinavian country's use of technology by businesses, large and small. Ireland was ranked second because of the knowledge workers there have in using information technology, while Britain finished third, four spots higher than in 2003.

British businesses were quick to adopt new technologies early, including voice over IP, or VoIP calling, which replaces a telephone line by making calls through the Internet, as well as desktop video conferencing, the report found.

Germany was ranked fourth, followed by South Korea, Canada, the United States and Australia. Italy, Japan and France rounded out the survey, which covered companies in sectors including manufacturing, construction, retail and wholesale, transport, communications, finance and services, and government agencies.

On a global basis, the survey — released last week — found that more businesses are measuring the benefits of technology instead of its costs on the bottom-line. It also found that instead of touting their ability to provide access to the Internet, companies are using the speed and reliability as benchmarks of success.

"Overall, businesses are taking a more thoughtful and selective approach to deploying technology," said Frederick Knops, vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton. "We see a tighter focus on value-added applications, and greater emphasis on measurement to assess the benefits of new technology."

[Ramcat]

"Booz Allen Hamilton is a top consulting firm, with an excellent reputation"

I'm sure they are.
What the headline suggests is that the US is not a leader in IT. This is far from fact.
What I'm saying is that IT is a very broad field and the article is basing their ranking on VOIP which is not the end all be all of technology.

[crushelits]

On a global basis, the survey — released last week — found that more businesses are measuring the benefits of technology instead of its costs on the bottom-line. It also found that instead of touting their ability to provide access to the Internet, companies are using the speed and reliability as benchmarks of success.

The study by U.S. consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, uses its own "Sophistication Index" to determine how eagerly, and capably, countries have embraced information technology, including wireless access and Internet access.

Sweden and in general most European countries have a more adavnced wireless technology than that of the US.
They have been using GSM  (Global System for Mobile Communications.
GSM is the name of a land mobile pan-European digital cellular radiocommunications system - A standard for digital cellular communications (in the process of being) adopted by over 60 countries. The GSM standard is currently used in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. I used to live in Europe and traveled to Asia a few times with my Motorola Triport (tri-band) wireless telephone and was able to make calls from Hong Kong to the US and any European country, actually to any country in the world. I treveled w/ this phone to the US and was not able to use it.

[Ramcat]

"I treveled w/ this phone to the US and was not able to use it."

When did you travel?
You can use it now if you sign on with the right carrier.
I believe T-Mobile, AT&T/Cingular wireless have GSM networks in the US.
European companies might be "more eager" to embrace new information technology especially wireless because US firms at present are "over teched". Wireless has security problems that need to be and are being resolved. US firms have solid technology that they purchased or developed in the late 90's and early 2000's that is still quite functional.
If the study was to measure businesses "eagerness" then it probably has some merit. But to suggest that the US is behind Sweden in overall deployment and sophistication of IT (which the headline does)is more than a stretch.
However, my wife loves her Volvo.

[dfwgator]

A factor is also the relative size of the countries involved. Deploying telecom in a smaller country is much easier than in a large country like the US.

[stainlessbanner]

"Misery Sophistication Index"

now it makes sense

[SolutionsOnly]

Rankings like these are pretty silly and essentially meaningless - they're the sort of thing that insecure people come up with to create a false sense of superiority. It's either that or some sort of lobbying scam.

[crushelits]

I traveled throughout Europe and Asia Years: 1998, 1999, 2000. 2001, 2002 and 2003.

The last time a tried to use the phone in the US = late 2001.
The only way to be able to use the phone back then, was to get a sim card, and they where hard to come by.

By the way ATT and T-Mobile just came out with GSM technology either late last year or early this year I'm not sure.

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North America gets GSM EDGE more info here...

Results count, and purveyors of GSM in North America are busily counting up the positive results from recent network build outs and technology innovations that seemed to some as unlikely as they were ambitious just a few years ago.Though GSM got off to a decidedly late start in the Americas, today the GSM Association has more than 110 GSM operators across the North America and Caribbean. And that number is growing quickly as operators in the Americas elect to migrate from TDMA to GSM. To date, 46 TDMA operators and at least two CDMA operators in the region are implementing GSM overlays.

Thanks to this migration, GSM is showing rapid growth in the region. The number of GSM subscribers in the United States and Canada grew by 61 per cent between November 2002 and November 2003, to reach nearly 27 million cording to EMC Cellular Database.

With the initial GSM overlay of TDMA at1900MHz largely completed in 2002 by North American operators making the changeover, 2003 was marked by the addition of GSM in the same operators’ 850MHz spectrum.

An immediate benefit that operators are seeing from their switch to GSM is new roaming revenues generated by the technology’s huge worldwide subscriber base. In its Q3 2003financial report, Canadian TDMA/GSM operator Rogers Wireless noted that its growing roaming revenues were largely attributable to the deployment of its GSM/GPRS network, ‘which has provided for seamless roaming to the company’s subscribers who travel internationally as well as the increased ability to capture roaming revenues from international visitors to Canada.’

TDMA operators migrating to GSM as well as pure-play GSM operators such as T-Mobile USA and Microcell Telecommunications in Canada have also benefited from the ability to offer a wide array of wireless data services via GPRS. Offerings run the gamut from games and ringtones to picture messaging and location-based services.

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link..

A prepaid American SIM card for when your not on the road or if your visiting us from overseas bring your cell phone but leave your SIM card behind. A USA SIM card is a great way to use your world cell phone in the United States while you continue to stay in touch while for travel (even if it’s just travel to work). Pay the local rate for local calls and be prepaid.

  What's included?

	The T-Mobile US prepaid SIM card for your GSM cell phone
	225 minute starter credit
	A local cell phone number in The United States
	Voicemail
	Free incoming SMS (text messaging) and e-mail
	Gold rewards program
	No yearly contract, monthly charges or credit check

[A. Pole]

It probably is also a factor that in many of these countries, socialism has driven up the cost of labor to the point where it increases the economic necessity of automation and technology to compete. The European labor situation has in effect created a "burning platform" to innovate!

It is not the first time when the excessively high cost of labor led Europe on the path of technological progress. Maybe the most important example can be found in the Wake of the Black Death.

Fortunately USA does not need to worry - having unlimited supply of cheap labor in India, China and Latin America thanx to the free trade agreements.

[Constantine XIII]

Yeah, let's not mention the fact that we invented all of it, and it is much easier to start a business here with only a little funding.

[Echo Talon]

Yeah, let's not mention the fact that we invented all of it, and it is much easier to start a business here with only a little funding.

Norway invented what exactly? Intel, AMD and Microsoft mean anything to you?

[Constantine XIII]

Son, I am from the great state of Tennessee.

You're barking up the WRONG tree. :P

Actually, I made your exact argument on some thread about how Japanese people have so many more übercool gadgets than we do.

I pointed out that we build computers that can run Half Life 2 and Doom 3, while they make consoles that sponsor games involving girls in sailor suits and chunky plumbers. :D

[Echo Talon]

your profile references Norway sorry.

[Constantine XIII]

No prob. ^^

Actually, I'm going home on the 20th and I'm looking forward to it.

I've had fun, but I miss my family, my church, my trees, my hills, and my dogs.

[ninenot]

Thanks, RamC for your intelligent question.

Some of this "technology grabbing" is not necessarily for the better. Lean manufacturers are learning that the traditional Master Scheduling software has to have some modules taken off-line to make lean work. Does this mean that the US is "techno-deprived?"

As to 'net communications w/the factory, ComputerWorld ran an article indicating that the SOX Act has put into question allowing people to use spreadsheets within an organization--because data entry errors are numerous and (with SOX) can have serious repercussions.

It remains to be seen whether this study is similar to the "studies" put out by a certain CPA/consulting firm, all of which tout the advantages of offshoring factories to PRChina. What the consultant does NOT mention is that they happen to make a lot of $$ in facilitating such offshoring.

[Doohickey]

Well gosh, it's really easy to implement new technologies when you've got a very small or non-existent installed base to worry about. People here expect to still be able to use their old cell phones.

[crushelits]

There too.

The report failed to mention Janpan and Korea, countries with more advanced in IT that Europe or the US.

And that my friend, you cantake it to the bank. Its a fact!

[Doohickey]

Oddly enough, most people just want to have a conversation on their phone and don't want to take pictures, get e-mail, etc. etc.

[Nowhere Man]

Dunno what to make of it. Saying who is more "advanced" is a smokescreen at best. It reminds me of the debate in television where in some ways, the USSR was ahead of the US in direct broadcast satellite in 1965 or the same could be said of India in 1975. I think the thing is that the United States did establish TV networks coast to coast much earlier than the resto f the world in the late 1940's and early 1950's and we had to use the technology of the time, coaxial cable and microwave relay towers. The USSR and India did not have the resources, money, need, or whatever to do such in the 1950's, at least not to the extent the US could. But as TV grew into the hinterlands, when the time was ready, the in thing was satellites so in many isolated regions in the USSR, the only way to watch TV was direct from the satellite, either through a community antenna cable system or having your very own satellite receiver. Same with India with Indiasat in the 1970's. In some ways, both were ahead with direct from satellite TV than the US, although we had a few TV geeks here that loved to get the signals "off the bird" as a hobby and was seen as such until the mid 1980's at least.

Here in the US, we already had established a network for computers to use is the dialup phone lines whereas other nations basically can start from scratch with high speed lines. I'm still on dialup myself, my neighborhood still has the old 1950's era phone lines to this very day. I'm connected at 48 k-baud now, if I'm lucky, I can do 50.

[Nowhere Man]

Oddly enough, most people just want to have a conversation on their phone and don't want to take pictures, get e-mail, etc. etc.

Good points. Although the videophone was demonstrated in 1964 by Bell Labs, it never took off. Plus, how many people WANT to be seen while chatting?

Some additions about TV networks, even well into the 1970's and beyond, the coaxial cable and microwave relay system built in the 1940's and 1950's was quite adequete enough for our needs so we did not need direct broadcast satellite like some other nations did. Now with cable TV and the TV channel explosion, it has changed.

[lucysmom]

The European labor situation has in effect created a "burning platform" to innovate!

While we export jobs to accomplish the same end. My money's on the guy who innovates!