Three cities in Africa have re-emerged as regional leaders in terms of information and communication technology (ICT) maturity, Ericsson’s latest report has found.
Of the 31 cities measured for ICT maturity in Ericsson’s latest New City Index, Johannesburg, Cairo and Lagos achieved rankings of 22, 27 and 29 respectively.
“With some of the leading cities in Africa being dubbed as the most advanced in terms of ICT, Africa is proving to be a strong competitor in the global scale,” Ericsson said this week.
Last year, the index, which ranked 25 countries, ranked Cairo at 17, followed by Johannesburg at 20 and Lagos at 24.
The 2013 index rated Stockholm, London and Singapore the top three most advanced cities in terms of ICT maturity.
The rankings were based on ICT investments on economic, social and environmental development and the “triple bottom line” effect.
The Swedish capital’s top ranking was owing to its well-developed ICT infrastructure, with a high penetration of smartphones and high-speed connections, as well as advanced use paired with innovation and development initiatives using ICT as core enabler, Ericsson noted.
Paris, Copenhagen, Oslo, Hong Kong, New York, Helsinki and Tokyo were ranked among the top ten in terms of ICT maturity.
Los Angeles, Miami, Seoul, Taipei, Sydney, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Istanbul, Beijing and Shanghai were also ranked within the index, which was developed in close collaboration with engineering and design group Sweco.