IT friendliness: India way behind at 46th place

Despite a strong information technology (IT) services sector, India has failed to make it to the top 20 when it comes to factors needed to support the IT industry.

Instead, the US, Japan, South Korea and the UK provide the strongest environment for IT competitiveness, according to a white paper sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

India has been placed 46th, ahead of China, which is at the 49th position.

India and China will have to battle Russia, Brazil, Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as smaller nations such as Estonia, Lithuania and Chile in the next five years, says the report.

"These countries, although ranked lower than India and China, have reported respectable performances in at least one aspect of IT competitiveness, and the skills base of each is improving. Carving niches in software development and services represents their best chance of moving up the table," said Jeffrey Hardee, vice-president and regional director (Asia), BSA.

China and India are the strongest in research and development and human capital development, respectively.