Measuring and Evaluation of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Situation with the Help of Networked Readiness Index (NRI)

Undobtedly, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has affected the country’s economic and social interactions. The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) comprising four subindexes that measure the enviroment for ICTs, the readiness of a society to use ICTs, the actual usage of all main stakholders (Individual, Business and Government), and finally, the impacts that ICTs generate in the economy and in the society, the three first subindexes can be regarded as the driver that establish the conditions for the results of the fourth subindexes, ICT impacts. These four subindexes are divided into 10 pillars composed of 54 individual indicators in total. World economic forum (WEF) estimates the rank of each country with the number 1-7 annually. In 2013 report, among 144 countries, number of Iran was 3.43(rank 101). As mentioned in report, Networked Readiness Index can evaluate socio economic effects of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). This paper tries to introduce NRI and its 54 pillars.