Research group Frost & Sullivan has noted that while a predicted surge in worldwide government spending on ICT will boost national eID programs and services, that the world's leaders need to work harder to offer more innovative service and identity management.Across the planet, government spending on ICT is expected to hit some US$441 billion by 2018, says F&S. North America is expected to account for 47.4 percent, followed by Asia-Pacific with 21.7 percent and Western Europe with 21.3 percent.The group says the rise comes after the move toward digital modernization hit a roadblock during the economic downturn, with governments now keenly aware of the need for state modernisation to deliver high-quality services to citizens. "Most modern states have deployed online services by using specific websites, and a few of them have extended these services to the mobile space," said Frost & Sullivan ICT Global Programme Director Jean-Noël Georges. "This approach allows governments to be more present and accessible to citizens even when live services are not available."In Europe and the US, the government sector has made massive investments in the mobile space to provide an innovative user experience to citizens. The public sector needs to expand its digital vision and adopt a 'mobile first' and user-centric strategy. Indeed, many governments involve citizens in the creation of relevant solutions to strengthen social cohesion.However, with the rise in the use of digital services, Frost & Sullivan says there will be a parallel rise in the need to educate citizens on the necessity of using governmental online services."Many governments have established physical shops to demonstrate the use of online services and to ensure a physical presence to citizens," observes Georges. "Citizen shops in Portugal, for example, offer in the same location, all the services deemed necessary for CITIZEN 2.0."Overall, the number of mobile devices in developed countries, coupled with advanced network infrastructure, will facilitate the large-scale deployment of online services. Even though most of these services are still only viewable through a tablet or smartphone, in due course, they will be specifically designed for mobile devices.

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