International Telecommunication Union

The Digital Opportunity Index (DOI) is the only index that includes price data for 181 economies, which is vital in assessing effective market demand. The Digital Opportunity Index (DOI) has been designed to as a tool for tracking progress in bridging the digital divide and the implementa- tion of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). As such, it provides a powerful policy tool for exploring the global and regional trends in infrastructure, opportu- nity and usage that are shaping the Information Society.

The aim of this data set is to provide a snapshot of where countries stand in their cybersecurity engagement at the national level. The visions as seen by ABI Research and ITU is to promote cybersecurity awareness and the important role governments have to play in integrating appropriate mechanisms to both support and promote this crucial discipline. Safeguarding the integrity of cyberspace must involve the development of cybersecurity.

As a United Nations agency, the ITU has an obligation to identify, define, and produce statistics covering its sector - the telecommunication/ICT sector. This is in line with other specialized agencies that publish statistics covering their respective field of operations and forms part of the global statistical system of the UN. The collection of over 100 telecommunication/ICT indicators is one of the main activities of the unit. The ITU's Market Information and Statistics (STAT) Division collects its Telecommunication/ICT data directly form governments by means of an annual questionnaire that is sent to the government agency in charge of telecommunications/ICT. This is usually the Ministry or the regulatory agency. The STAT Division verifies and harmonizes data, carries out research, and collects missing values from government web sites and operators' annual reports, particularly for countries that do not reply to the questionnaire. Market research data are also used to cross-check and complement missing values.

This annual report presents a global overview of the latest developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs), based on internationally comparable data and agreed methodologies. It aims to stimulate the ICT policy debate in ITU Member States by providing an objective assessment of countries’ performance in the field of ICT and by highlighting areas that need further improvement. One of the key findings of this year’s MIS Report is that the least developed countries (LDCs) are making progress with their connectivity initiatives. However, in 2015, only 6.7 per cent of households in LDCs had Internet access compared with 46 per cent of households worldwide and more than 80 per cent of households in developed countries. The report also reveals that, globally, 46 per cent of men and 41 per cent of women are Internet users.