Switzerland ranks eighth in communications technology

Switzerland ranks eighth in the world in terms of communications technology penetration. This is one place lower than in 2004, according to a study by the International Telecommunications Union (UIT). However, modern means of communication are more expensive in Switzerland than in many other countries. In terms of cost, Switzerland is only in 12th place. While access to communication technologies has improved, the number of cell phones in Switzerland has grown less than in the northern countries.
The level of communication technology is particularly high in the Nordic countries: Sweden is in first place, Denmark in third place, Iceland in fifth place and Norway in sixth place. South Korea is in second place and the Netherlands in fourth place. Luxembourg (7th place) is also stronger than Switzerland. Finland is in 9th place ahead of the UK, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany. The USA dropped from 11th to 17th place, as the UN office announced on Monday.

Communication technologies on the rise worldwide
All countries have improved their performance in the last five years, but some more than others. Eastern Europe, in particular the Baltic states and Romania, are developing particularly dynamically, the report continues. Among the developing countries, Pakistan, China, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia made particular progress. China has improved from 90th to 73rd place since 2004. Fixed network connections, as well as the number of cell phones and Internet connections, increased particularly strongly.
According to the UIT, 23 out of every 100 people worldwide had access to the Internet at the end of the year.
Africa lags far behind this average with a prevalence of five percent. The country comparison is based on twelve indicators.