EU digital economy and society index highlights significant digital progress

The EU has published its new digital economy and society index, demonstrating the speed of digital take-up between EU countries. The tool uses 30 indicators to provide a snapshot of country data – highlighting differences in connectivity, internet skills and the take-up of technology. The UK ranks eleventh among EU countries for provision of digital public services, up five places from 2014.

Schellion Horn, director in Deloitte’s telecoms team, said: “The index highlights that the UK has made significant digital progress over the past year. The UK has continued to see one of the highest increases in fast broadband connections, contributed to by the falling broadband prices observed in the index. Furthermore there has been a large increase in the number of people using government online services (up from 24% to 37%) which may also translate into cost savings for the UK Government.

“The integration of digital technology is the worst performing area for the UK. Whilst social media use appears high, the percentage of businesses willing to use new digital technologies remains low. However, if the UK economy is to benefit from the productivity improvements associated with these technologies, businesses need to be encouraged to embrace them.

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