Serentschy presents ICT benchmarking study: Successful implementation of ICT requires long-term strategies and coordination

Press release dated 18 August 2006

"In order to specify the ICT Master Plan published in November 2005 more concretely, we have carried out more detailed analyses of top-ranked ICT countries in recent months with a view to providing additional input for the realization of a sustainable strategy for Austria as an ICT location – as well as strengthening Austria as a business location," comments Georg Serentschy, Managing Director of RTR's Telecommunications Division, on the motives for the benchmarking study published on RTR's web site today.

"Specifically, we examined the successful models in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Korea, and came to the conclusion that a successful implementation of each ICT strategy requires comprehensive long-term strategies and regular adaptation – those countries have consistently addressed the topic of ICT for 10 years or more," says Serentschy. "Another key factor is the high commitment of all stakeholders to strengthening ICT, as well as their cooperation in implementation. This mainly includes government agencies, businesses and research as well as the population itself," he further notes. "However, as it turns out, the driving force is the identification and promotion of growth factors as well as national efforts to attain top spots in the technology field.“

"In contrast to Denmark, Finland, Korea and Sweden, Austria is still in the process of raising awareness and sensitizing people to the importance of ICT; the other four countries have long since passed through these stages," Serentschy summarizes. "Those countries base their implementation structures on industrial, organizational and cultural strengths, with informal structures – depending on the culture – also playing a decisive role. We should certainly consider this in our implementation efforts in Austria.“

The ICT benchmarking study is available on the RTR web site at: