Egypt has landed in the 91st position, out of 144 countries, in the World Economic Forum's report The 2014 Global Information Technology, declining 11 positions compared to the previous year. The report also noted that Egypt has slightly improved in the individual information and Communications technology (ICT) uptake; however, it was smaller than the improvement experienced by other countries. The Information Technology report stated that Egypt lags behind in ICT Infrastructure development even though it is fairly affordable. The country has landed 99th position in terms of ICT Infrastructure and 16th in the terms of affordability. "ICT uptake by government is average (42nd), but penetration among citizens (71st) with less than half its population using the internet (75th) and businesses, in their interaction with other businesses (81st) and consumers (70th), remain modest," the report said. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology stated in its Future of Internet Economy in Egypt, published January, that only two out of 100 individuals in Egypt have access to broadband internet penetration, compared to Israel's 25 and the United Arab Emirates' 10. "Weaknesses in the political and regulatory environment (115th) and the business and innovation environment (117th) result in a low innovation capacity by Egyptian companies (111th) and thus limited economic (59th) and social (65th) positive outcomes," the report added. Minister of Communication and Information Technology Atef Helmy announced during a television interview that Egypt has adopted a seven-year, EGP 5bn national plan to develop the communication sector and bring communication services to remote areas. During the interview, Helmy also said that the total value of investments in the government's high-speed internet plan, underway since December, will record EGP 45bn within seven years.
