WCIT 2008: Don’t go backwards, says ICT expert

KUALA LUMPUR: Governments need to think strategically if they want to encourage information technology adoption among the population, said an IT industry analyst.

Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said some countries are even taking the wrong steps to increase IT adoption.

“Some policy makers think backwards and many don’t see how powerful ICT (information and communications technology) is,” he said during his keynote address at WCIT 2008 in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

According to him, several nations still apply tax to ICT products, making them even more expensive to consumers. “Tarrifs on ICT products retard ICT consumption,” he said. “In fact, for every 1% price drop in ICT products, the usage increases by 1.5%,” Atkinson said. IT is vital to businesses and nations, Atkinson stressed. He said IT has been an economic driver since the mid 1990s and it goes beyond computers and the Internet.

“With the dropping prices of semiconductors, IT can even be applied to tractors,” he said.

Atkinson said businesses that invest in IT are often more profitable. He quoted a study done by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) which revealed that for every US$1 (RM3.30) a company invests in IT, it gets an increased market evaluation of US$10 (RM33).

ICT has also helped create new business models and the increased popularity of online retail is testimony to this claim. “Amazon.com, iTunes and even US discount store Walmart have all profited from ICT,” he said.

Governments can get everyone engaged in IT through properly scrutinised policies, Atkinson said. “Properly thought-out policies can be used as a tool to drive ICT transformation,” he added.