Spain: Nearing a Digital Horizon
FROM THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY FORUM
Business connectivity and digital practices are rising, but Spain’s ICT related performance indicators are narrowly below the EU average*.
Spain’s media infrastructures are advancing, with the exception of 3G networks, which are still in their infancy. Digital TV has been substantially adopted. As indicated by a recent European Commission research report**, enterprises are far better connected than their EU counterparts. Amongst enterprises, 87% have broadband. Of household internet connections, 75% are broadband, but citizen use is less than expected from such high connectivity. Significant use of public internet access points, at 10%, could signal the shift towards a hyper connected user base along the model of Finland and Iceland. With 23% of the population downloading music and game and 24% of the population using web radio and TV, online entertainment in Spain is about the EU average.
Although use of other digital content and services is lagging, the EIU eReadiness ranking 2007 suggests that Spanish is an emerging lingua franca of the web. The Spanish speaking populations of Europe and the Americas could be drawn into a linguistic-global web culture. Spanish web material will benefit from this global exposure and development in a similar fashion to English and Chinese web material.
Spain’s schools enjoy a high level of connectivity, 81% of which have broadband. ICT access and use in the classroom, however, is below the EU average. This will be addressed by an ICT training scheme for up to 5 million students.
Spain’s eGovernance is advanced but progress has reached a plateau. Online availability of public services for enterprises ranks 3rd in the EU, with 87% of services fully online. Only 58% of enterprises use such services however, narrowly below the EU average. Recently outpaced in this category by other EU leaders, Spain has prioritized single public portal for enterprises and citizens, an eID card and an eHealth program. €6m in grants has been directed towards initiatives to familiarize certain disconnected demographics such as women, the elderly and disabled populations. The government has also launched common system for validating digital signatures, crucial for digital legal frameworks and eCommerce. - Kenzie Burchell
i2010 Annual Report: Spain
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Broadband
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
Rank
|
|
Total DSL coverage (as % of total population)
|
87.0
|
89.0
|
|
14
|
|
DSL coverage in rural areas (as % of total population)
|
|
82.0
|
|
8
|
|
Broadband penetration (as % of population)
|
7.0
|
10.5
|
13.9
|
12
|
|
DSL penetration (as % of population)
|
5.3
|
8.1
|
11.0
|
11
|
|
Predominant download speed
|
|
0.5-1 Mbps
|
|
|
|
Households having broadband (as % of those having access to the internet at home)
|
44.7
|
58.4
|
75.0
|
9
|
|
% of enterprises with broadband access
|
71.6
|
76.2
|
87.1
|
4
|
|
Number of 3G subscribers per 100 inhabitants
|
|
2.3
|
|
12
|
|
Digital Television in households
|
|
27.8
|
|
8
|
|
Music: number of single downloads per 100 inhabitants
|
|
7.0
|
|
11
|
|
Internet Usage
|
|
|
|
|
|
% population who are regular internet users
|
31.4
|
35.1
|
39.5
|
18
|
|
Take up of internet services (as % of population)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sending emails
|
30.6
|
33.8
|
36.7
|
19
|
|
Looking for information about goods and services
|
29.7
|
33.1
|
37.9
|
15
|
|
Internet telephoning or videoconferencing
|
2.9
|
3.6
|
6.3
|
20
|
|
Playing/downloading games and music
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19.4
|
20.4
|
23.0
|
12
|
|
Listening to the web radio/watching web TV
|
|
24.3
|
|
|
|
Reading online newspapers/magazines
|
21.1
|
|
|
|
|
Internet banking
|
12.0
|
13.6
|
15.1
|
18
|
|
Places of access
|
|
|
|
|
|
% at home
|
25.6
|
28.2
|
32.6
|
16
|
|
% at work
|
17.9
|
20.3
|
22.0
|
15
|
|
% at educational place
|
7.6
|
8.3
|
7.0
|
20
|
|
% at PIAP
|
8.2
|
10.6
|
10.1
|
5
|
|
eGovernment Indicators
|
|
|
|
|
|
% basic public services for citizens fully available online
|
33.3
|
|
33.3
|
16
|
|
% basic public services for enterprises fully available online
|
87.5
|
|
87.5
|
3
|
|
% of population using e-Government services
of which for returning filled in forms
|
7
|
6
|
25
7
|
15
14
|
|
% of enterprises using e-Government services
of which for returning filled in forms
|
50
32
|
55
35
|
58
38
|
21
18
|
|
ICT in schools
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of computers connected per 100 pupils
|
|
|
8.5
|
15
|
|
% of schools with broadband access
|
|
|
81.0
|
10
|
|
% of teachers having used the computer in class during the last 12 months
|
|
|
68.2
|
19
|
|
e-Commerce
|
|
|
|
|
|
E-commerce as % of total turnover of enterprises
|
2.9
|
2.7
|
6.9
|
16
|
|
% enterprises receiving internet orders
|
1.7
|
2.0
|
8.0
|
18
|
|
% enterprises purchasing on the internet
|
8.9
|
9.9
|
16.1
|
21
|
|
e-business. % enterprises:
|
|
|
|
|
|
with integrated internal business processes
|
13.5
|
25.5
|
32.0
|
15
|
|
with integrated external business processes
|
5.0
|
7.8
|
12.5
|
12
|
|
Security: % enterprises using Secure servers
|
46.2
|
32.9
|
40.7
|
11
|
|
% using digital signatures for authentication
|
24.6
|
19.2
|
10.6
|
15
|
|
Employment and Skills
|
|
|
|
|
|
% employees using computers connected to the Internet
|
29.0
|
33.5
|
35.3
|
13
|
|
% of persons employed with ICT user skills.
|
15.7
|
15.6
|
15.7
|
21
|
|
% of persons employed with ICT specialist skills
|
2.7
|
2.6
|
2.7
|
16
|
|
Indicators on growth of ICT sector and R&D
|
|
|
|
|
|
ICT sector share of total GDP
|
|
|
|
17
|
|
ICT sector share of total employment
|
|
|
|
17
|
|
ICT sector growth (constant prices).
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
R&D expenditure in ICT by the business sector, as % of GDP
|
|
|
|
13
|
|
=== as % of total R&D expenditure
|
|
|
|
15
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SOURCE: The Economist Intelligence Unit
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