Measuring Business Access to

Information & Communication

Technology
Michael.Minges@itu.int

UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Measuring Electronic Commerce as an

Instrument for the Development of the Digital Economy
Geneva, 8-10 September 2003

ITU
!
!
!

UN specialized agency for telecommunications

Has been collecting statistics for 30 years
With fusion of telecommunications, computers and
broadcasting has expanded coverage to Information
and Communication Technology indicators (ICT)
Has expanded sources from administrative records
to include surveys
Focus on accessibility and e-readiness hence
interest in ICT in business sector
See www.itu.int/ti
2

Importance
Contribution of ICT to output
growth, 1995-99, Percent

Percent of Internet users who

only access from work, 2002
Ireland

Japan
Germany

Belgium

US

Estonia

Italy

Latvia

Australia

Lithuania

UK
Canada

Finland
Czech
Rep.
UK

Finland

Austria

France

0%

20%

40%

Source: ITU adapted from OECD, SIBIS.

20

40
3

What to measure
Access

Use

!PCs

!Type

!Internet

access

!Uses
!Web

E-commerce

of connection
site

Benefits & Barriers

!Purchases
!Sales

Methods
!

Sample survey
"

"
"

OECD, Model
Questionnaire on ICT
Usage and Electronic
Commerce in Enterprises
Eurostat, Pilot Survey
National

Universe
"

Size (by employees)

!
!
!
!

"

Micro (< 5)
Often
excluded
Small (5 9)
Medium (20-99)
Large (100+)

Industry type
!
!
!

Primary
Manufacturing
Services

Often
excluded

Size, Example from New Zealand

Business indicators by
employment size
100%
90%
Large

80%
70%

Businesses with Internet

Percent, June 2001
New
Zealand
Large

79

> 50 employees

95

60%
50%

Medium

Medium

40%

89

Small

30%
20%
10%

20-49 employees

Small

6-19 employees

Micro

<6 employees
Data not available

75

Micro

0%
Firms

Staff

Output

Source: ITU adapted from Ministry of Economic Development (New Zealand),

Statistics New Zealand.

Good coverage of developed economies

for access indicators

Have Internet access

Greece

Luxembourg

United
Kingdom

Spain

Canada

Italy

Portugal

Netherlands

Norway

Austria

New
Zealand

Australia

Sweden

Finland

Denmark

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Have own Web site

Note: All businesses with 10 or more employees except Canada.

Source: ITU adapted from OECD (beginning 2001).

Asian Tigers and some Economies in

Transition also have data
Businesses with ICTs, Percent
100
90
80

PC
Internet
Web site

70

PC
Internet
Web site

100
90
80
70

60

60

50

50

40

40

30

30

20

20

10

10

0
HK, China Korea, Taiwan, Singapore
Rep.
China

0
Estonia Latvia

Lith. Poland Russia

Source: ITU adapted from FIND 2002 (Taiwan, China), IDA 2002 (Singapore), C&SD 2002
8
(Hong Kong China), NCA 2001 (Korea, Rep.) & Baltic Information Society Statistics (right chart).

Scarce data for developing nations &

comparability questionable
100
90
80

PC
Internet
Web site

90
80

70

70

60

60

50

50

40

40

30

30

20

20

10

10

0
Mexico

Mauritius

100

Peru

PC

Internet Web site

Source: ITU adapted from OECD, INEGI (Mexico, 1999, all firm sizes) and INEI (Peru,
2000, 5+ employees) & NCB (Mauritius, 2001, 10+ employees).

Some studies particularly for SMEs

Africa, 2000

Asia, 2001- 2002

Phone
Fax
PC

100
90

90

80

80

70

70

60

60

50

50

40

40

30

30

20

20

10

10

0
Tanzania

Kenya

PC
Internet
Web site

100

Sri Lanka Thailand

Phil.

Indonesia

Source: ITU adapted from ZEF, The Role of ICT for the Performance of SMEs in East
Africa & The Asia Foundation, Regional Survey of SMEs use of eCommerce.

10

Proxies
!
!

Domain registrations in the .com.cc domain

Business Internet subscriptions

11

Business Digital Divide

Internet access in Chilean micro, small and medium sized firms,
2001, percent
100
90
80

68

70

60

60
50
40

32

30
20

22
11

10
0
Micro

Small

Medium

Source: ITU adapted from INE Chile and Eurostat.

Chile

EU average
12

Conclusions
!
!
!
!

Need to enhance visibility of existing surveys

Disseminate model questionnaire
Reinforce statistical capacity
Focus on access indicators as first step
"
"
"

Businesses with PCs

Businesses with Internet access
Businesses with web page

Target of at least 100 countries with data by

2005
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