Most delegates see a better 2002

The mood among delegates on the future of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry at the World Congress on Information Technology 2002 (WCIT) is quite positive, according to an industry group poll.

An Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Macro Consulting survey reveals 78.4 per cent of polled WCIT delegates believe 2002 offers better opportunity for industry growth than 2001.

Rob Durie, AIIA executive director said the key indicators people were using to back this view were various Government moves to encourage IT developments (42 per cent), the post-September 11 focus on specific ICT infrastructure enhancements (40 per cent) and the anticipated increase in IT infrastructure investments (37 per cent).

“Interestingly, people are not basing their perceived changes in the stock markets or interest rates, but preferring to form their opinions from indications of new business interest in technologies,” said Durie.

The main technology drives in the next five years, according to the poll, include wireless and mobile (70 per cent), broadband (64 per cent), and e-payment systems (48 per cent).

“While broadband was seen as a key technological driver, only 24 percent of poll respondents could see broadband encouraging business growth in 2002,” he said.

Also launched at the WCIT was the World Information Technology Services Alliance (WITSA)’s study, Digital Planet 2002: The Global Information Economy.

Durie said the report found Australia ranks well above our size as the tenth largest ICT spending country in 2001, “a position we have retained for over a decade”.

“In fact, we rank fourth in ICT spending as a percentage of GDP,” said Durie.

The study found over US$37 billion was spent on ICT in Australia in 2001, with Japan and China leading Australia in the Asia Pacific region.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now