Differences of Broadband Network Infrastructure, e-Readiness and Usage in EU Rural Regions

Abstract

Different indicators and complex indexes can be used for ICT-level comparisons between countries. But usually just simple indicators are available for analyzing smaller territorial units within a country. By contrast, a multi-dimensional regional analysis allows to evaluate a given region in several ways, recognizing its strengths and weaknesses and development potential. The main aim of our research is to evaluate the availability and usage of broadband network infrastructure and the subscriber services in regional level, because the implementation of certain projects concerns principally the smaller areas directly. We used correlation analysis for find out whether there is any relation among the ICT and socio-economic indicators, regardless of the causal link between them. In the case of Hungary we present the development over time and regional differences of different indicators, which are related to the usage and availability of broadband networks. We tried to examine which factors have contributed to the change of these indicators, and to determine how the results obtained have contributed for the development of a region, what the direct or external effects are. The units of the analysis are the NUTS-2 regions of EU, but those member states, where any of the chosen indicators wasn’t available; their regions have not been included in the present analysis.