Perhaps surprisingly, early internet adopters, including the US and Australia, were found to be trailing in broadband uptake.
According to the fifth annual survey of its kind by The Economist, enterprises are taking advantage of internet protocol-based services, mobile-phone usage is mushrooming in developing and developed economies alike, and broadband is taking off.
The research, conducted in co-operation with IBM, found Scandinavia dominating: Denmark in 1st place, Sweden 3rd, Norway 4th and Finland 5th. By comparison, in the 2001 rankings, the top four countries were, in order: the US, Australia, the UK and Canada.
What sets Scandinavia apart, according to the authors, is the extent to which the internet has reshaped business transactions, the eagerness with which citizens have incorporated internet technology into their daily routines, and the extent to which Scandinavian governments have driven development.
Singapore, in 7th place has made the greatest advance in this year's ranking, up five places over last year. Like its neighbours, Hong Kong (9th) and South Korea (14th), Singapore is a world leader in broadband rollout and benefits from strong government-industry cooperation.
EU entrants stand to gain, according to the findings. This year's EU accession countries — Estonia (26th), the Czech Republic (27th), Hungary (30th), Slovenia (31st), Latvia (34th), Poland (36th), Lithuania (38th) and Slovakia (39th), as well as Cyrus and Malta, not included in the ranking – already have decent infrastructure and e-business environments.
In Estonia, the majority of internet users are broadband subscribers, and all public schools have broadband access. These countries will immediately benefit from the EU's coordinated approach to development.
For a copy of the full report, see: The 2004 e-readiness rankings