STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — (Marketwire) — 11/23/11 —
• Ericsson and Arthur D. Little-s latest Networked Society City Index
ranks cities in terms of their ability to use ICT to benefit their citizens
• Top-ranking cities Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm show the benefits
of engaging a society as a whole
• London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing
complete the top 10
• ICT-based applications such as e-government and smart transport can
improve citizens- lives, helping to overcome common challenges in urban
environments
The second edition of Ericsson-s (NASDAQ: ERIC) Networked Society City
Index
ranks 25 of the world-s largest cities according to their ability to
transform
ICT to social, economic and environmental benefits.
The top three cities in the index – Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm – have
successfully met many social, economic and environmental targets by making
extensive investments in ICT. Singapore, for example, is aggressively
driving
innovation in e-health, and is a pioneer in traffic-congestion management.
Seoul, meanwhile, is using ICT to realize many environmental benefits of
high
tech initiatives.
The study also shows that several BRIC cities, such as Sao Paulo and Delhi,
have
promising initiatives in place to rapidly close the socioeconomic gap
through
multi-stakeholder ICT engagements. Sao Paulo, in particular, has been
awarded
several national and international awards for its e-inclusion programs.
These
initiatives highlight an awareness of the need for improving ICT literacy
and
the key role that it has in enabling further development.
In Delhi, several promising initiatives aim to leverage ICT for the benefit
of
citizens. An excellent example of a multi-stakeholder project is Eko, which
enables low-value financial transactions to be completed using mobile
phones or
through retail outlets. Eko serve over 1.3 million customers and processed
USD
500 million in micro deposits, payments and remittances. In a city such as
Delhi, citizens benefit from gaining access to basic financial services –
for
example, by using them to engage in entrepreneurial activities and receive
payment for their work.
Increased GDP per capita often is equated with increased consumption and
thus
increased impact on the environment, for example due to increased CO2
emissions.
This environmental part of this index indicates how ICT can be used to
decouple
GDP growth and CO2 emissions: a city with high GDP could use ICT to reduce
their
consumption, for example, with smart commuting, or how a city in a
developing
country or city can chose a more sustainable development path, by obtaining
the
same type of services, but e.g. virtually, as opposed to physical products.
“It is crucial to analyze the perspective of individual citizens,” says
Patrik
Regårdh, from Ericsson-s Networked Society Lab. “Successful cities
excel at
attracting ideas, capital and skilled people. Such positive attraction
requires
constant progress in economic terms, as well as within a social and
environmental context.”
The new study looks at the benefits ICT has enabled in various cities in
areas
such as health, education, economy, the environment and efficiency, as well
as
at citizens- interactions with ICT.
“As people get their most basic needs satisfied, attention shifts to e.g.,
balanced life styles, a rich cultural scene, good transport and transaction
facilities, good health also in their senior years, self-fulfillment – for
example – in terms of higher education and a clean environment throughout
the
city,” says Erik Almqvist, Director Arthur D. Little. “ICT has the
potential to
improve quality of life in many of these fields and connectivity itself
anytime
anywhere is increasingly regarded as a basic citizen-s right.”
The Networked Society City Index is a tool that can help city authorities
and
decision makers monitor the position and progress of cities along the
ICT-development curve. It should be read as the starting point in an open
dialogue,
rather than the final word on how cities can progress their triple bottom
lines.
Notes to editors:
Visit the Networked Society Interactive City Index and compare cities at:
Full report available at:
Ericsson-s Networked Society website
Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:
The Networked Society City Index – established through a joint study
conducted
by Ericsson and management consultancy Arthur D. Little – will comprise a
series
of three reports that rank 25 of the world-s largest cities based on their
ability to transform ICT maturity into benefits for their citizens and
businesses. These reports are based on secondary and primary information
provided by various third parties including but not limited to city
authorities
and councils.
Ericsson is the world-s leading provider of technology and services to
telecom
operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and
provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the
leading position in managed services. The company-s portfolio comprises
mobile
and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and
multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The
Sony
Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich
personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an
all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable
business
solutions. Working in 180 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated
revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876
with
the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX,
Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
Full Report:
Ranking:
Photo of Patrik Regårdh:
Index:
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(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other
applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality
of the information contained therein.
Source: Ericsson via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1565894]
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