Utilization of communications network potential: Public practices and effects

Technological adoption, with an emphasis on Information and Communications technology (ICT), is considered as a decisive factor for the overall development of each country. For this, the European Commission (EC) has launched a number of policy frameworks, aiming to enhance the usage and to improve the quality of European citizens' lives. However and so far, the results are still below the initial goals. Thus, the EC recently decided to set some additional targets, in order to facilitate a wider adoption of information services and maximize economical and societal benefits.In line with this, the present work studies the effect of the driving factors that accelerate the uptake of public e-services, together with the impact of technological adoption on the socio-economic status. A new parameter is introduced, the utilization of communications network potential (UCNP), which echoes the Information Society (IS) maturity level. An analysis, focusing on monitoring the progress of public and European Commission (EC) actions is additionally presented in order to assess the evolution of the IS maturity level in the European area. The impact of two main public depended indexes, i.e. structural and benchmarking indicators, on the UCNP maturity level is evaluated, together with the influence of the latter over socio-economic parameters.

► Definition of utilization of communications network potential (UCNP).
► Monitoring public and European Commission practices regarding UCNP.
► Measuring the impact of structural and benchmarking indicators on UCNP.
► Evaluate societal benefits derived from UCNP enhancement.