The growth and development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has led to their wide diffusion and application, thus increasing their economic and social impact. The OECD undertakes a wide range of activities aimed at improving our understanding of how ICTs contribute to sustainable economic growth and social well-being and their role in the shift toward knowledge-based societies.

What's new

Remaking the Movies: Digital Content and the Evolution of the Film and Video Industries

06-May-2008

This new publication analyses how film and video industry value chains and business models are being changed by news ways of creating, distributing and using digital content. It explores how digital content affects the function and position of participants along the commercial industry value chain, and the policy implications of these changes.

RFID applications, impacts and country initiatives

29-Apr-2008

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a promising new technology with a rapidly growing range of applications, many integrating technologies such as sensors. In this report, eight major fields of application are analysed, impacts are discussed and country initiatives described.

Developments in fibre technologies and investment

04-Apr-2008

Users' bandwidth demands continue to increase over time and this is leading Internet service providers and telecommunication operators to find ways to meet these growing network capacity requirements. Operators have spent the previous 20 years extending fibre backbones out to local main distribution frames but now many are working on pushing fibre ever closer to end-users in order to improve capacity. This paper provides an overview of developments in optical fibre communication technology and investment.

Public rights of way for fibre deployment to the home

04-Apr-2008

Fibre network deployments in the last mile are viewed as a key technology for communications access in the high-speed broadband market providing capacity that is symmetric and can support multiple play services. One factor which can slow the pace of fibre investment in the local loop is the cost associated with legal and regulatory procedures in obtaining permits for access to streets, roads, and other public lands as well as barriers to access existing ducts. 

At a Crossroads: "Personhood" and Digital Identity in the Information Society

03-Mar-2008

This paper discusses the relationship between the development of digital identity management and the concept of personhood, and the broader links to trust in the information society. It concludes that more investigation is needed to address gaps in international data protection in light of the emergent identity infrastructure.

Ask the economists: Internet and development - towards a Wider World Web?

on 21-Feb-2008

What benefits would the Internet bring to the developing world? And what impact would the arrival of several billion new users have on the Internet as we know it today? Click here to read the questions and answers from this online debate with OECD economist Sam Paltridge.

Measuring Security and Trust in the Online Environment: A View Using Official Data

13-Feb-2008

This paper reviews available official statistics on trust and security in the online environment. It discusses whether security concerns are an obstacle to Internet use and examines how people and companies protect their equipment and networks.

Measuring User-Created Content: Implications for the ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals Surveys

13-Feb-2008

User-created content (UCC) on line is emerging as a significant area of economic and social activity worthy of consideration for official measurement. This paper reviews recent measurement work on UCC undertaken in OECD countries.

Global opportunities for Internet access development

13-Feb-2008

The Internet, in little more than a decade following its commercialisation, has been remarkably successful in developing greater opportunities for communication access for the first billion users. The challenge for all stakeholders is to expand the economic and social opportunities, made possible by the Internet, for the next several billion users. This report seeks to address the question of where these users will come from and to examine the large shifts in communications policy which are enabling this to be a practical possibility.

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID): a Focus on Information Security and Privacy

24-Jan-2008

The increasing deployment of RFID brings significant economic promise. But is RFID sufficiently secure and privacy-friendly? This report clarifies the capabilities and limitations of RFID, identifies the information security and privacy challenges it can raise, and suggests measures and safeguards that can be implemented to address them.

Economic and social impacts of ICT: what do official statistics tell us?

09-Jan-2008

Policy makers everywhere want to know about the social and economic impacts of ICT. This paper examines what official statistics tell us about these impacts and suggests areas for future work.

High-speed broadband is changing people’s use of the Internet

09-Jan-2008

The Internet is part of everyday life for a billion people and is driving major changes in people's lives. This study analyses the use of Internet and broadband in detail, showing that people’s socio-economic standing has a direct bearing on how they use the Web.

Changing television markets

09-Jan-2008

By changing the distribution model for video content, television delivered over Internet Protocol (IPTV) is increasing pressure for a review of broadcast regulatory frameworks so as not to stifle innovation and the diffusion of new services. This paper examines current market trends and regulation for IPTV and also provides information on developments in the provision of IPTV service in a number of OECD countries.

The Internet economy: Towards a better future

30-Nov-2007

Can you remember life before the Internet? Though quite a new technology, for many of us a world without the web has become as unthinkable as a world without telephones. But what of the future? Can the benefits of this extraordinary technology be multiplied, and how can the thornier challenges be met?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Implementation in Germany: Challenges and Benefits

28-Nov-2007

RFID technology is increasingly used in a wide range of tracking and tracing applications. This study compares the implementation of RFID across a range of different sectors. Previous studies have either assessed related benefits and challenges on an aggregated level, or focused on one sector or specific application. This study is based on leading companies in Germany that are early adopters of RFID technology or undertaking pilot or implementation projects. It draws on in-depth interviews with early adopters from a broad range of industry sectors, academics and research institutes.

OECD launches new broadband portal

06-Nov-2007

This portal provides a wide range of broadband indicators on penetration rates, usage, geography, prices, speeds and services. For example, the 221 million broadband subscribers in the OECD area spend an average of USD 49 per month for broadband and receive an average advertised connection of 13.7 megabits per second. The portal can be found at www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband.

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