Geneva – Singapore has been ranked the world’s fourth most networked economy in a World Economic Forum (WEF) telecoms technology index. Denmark is the world’s most networked ready, said the WEF. Sweden ranked second in the annual WEF Networked Readiness Index, which measures communications and information technology availability and use, such as access to mobile phone and internet services. The US placed third, Singapore fourth and Switzerland fifth among the 134 economies listed in the index. Poor states like Bangladesh, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Timor-Leste and Chad rated worst. In the report, the WEF said that investing in telecoms infrastructure and services could help ‘general competitiveness and progress’ and put countries on a better footing to take advantage of an eventual return to economic growth. High-speed internet should be now seen as ‘part of the basic infrastructure of any country and one of the foundations of the knowledge economy,’ the study said. The study added that mobile communications play a key role in developing economies, crucially facilitating economic growth and development.