Malta tops IT exports among EU member states – EU report
The European Commission’s Digital Competitiveness report published today shows that Europe’s digital sector has made strong progress since 2005: 56% of Europeans now regularly use the internet, 80% of them via a high-speed connection (compared to only one third in 2004), making Europe the world leader in broadband internet.
The report found Malta performs well in the fields of eCommerce, eBusiness and the provision of eGovernment services, and displays a relatively high proportion of eSkills among employees.
However, it is lagging in terms of regular use of the internet and the take up of many internet services. ICT exports are very important for the economy. This is an indication of the economic importance of the information society in this country. Even more impetus is expected from the ‘Smart Island National ICT Strategy 2008-2010’ which sets a vision for the country to become one of the top 10 information societies in the world. The strategic plan prepares Malta for the next generation of
technology by laying the foundations for a world class inclusive infrastructure; developing a smart workforce; using IST to improve quality of life; re-inventing government and enhancing the productivity of the private sector and its competitiveness.
After a stall in broadband growth in 2006, there was a substantial increase in 2007 and 2008. Broadband penetration now stands at 24% of population. This gives Malta the 11th place in Europe, up five places since last year. There also is virtually complete DSL and cable modem networks coverage, while mobile connectivity methods are not yet fully exploited.
55% of Maltese households (or 93% of those connected to the internet) have broadband access. For the enterprises, this figure is at 89%. Broadband speeds however are among the lowest in Europe and this is a consequence of interconnection issues to the mainland.
While internet use has been growing among the population, Malta is placed in the bottom third of EU Member States with respect to rates of regular and frequent internet users and almost half of the population has never used the internet.
The take-up of internet services is also generally below the EU average; with the exception of downloading computer and/or video games, reading online newspapers, downloading/listeningto/watching music and/or films and listening to web radio/watching web TV, for which use is slightly above the average.
Malta performs very well in terms of the provision online public services; with 92% of public services for citizens and 100% of public services for enterprises available online. In terms of take up, however, it performs less well. While an above average proportion of enterprises use online pubic services (74%, compared to an EU average of 68%), use by citizens is relatively low.
No other EU Member State features such a high share of enterprises’ turnover from eCommerce. And all the eBusiness indicators are above the EU average.
The latest figures indicate that the Maltese business sector tripled its R&D expenditure in ICT between 2004 and 2005. ICT R&D expenditure relative to GDP remains lower than average, but one third (compared to 11% in the previous year) of all R&D spending goes to the ICT sector, resulting in a steep increase of Malta’s ranking (from 23rd to 8th position), mainly led by the presence of the semiconductors industry.
In 2006, Malta had the highest proportion of ICT exports in total exports in the EU. ICT plays an important role in the Maltese economy, as also underlined by strong eSkills, both at user and specialist levels, in the workforce.
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