The U.S. Tech Industry Would Be Wise To Keep An Eye On These Countries' Innovations – And Learn A Thing Or Two About Thinking Big.

By Vivian Giang FastCompany.com

Every few months there seems to be another region somewhere in the world that claims to be the next Silicon Valley. Sometimes the new high-tech hub is hyped up, but other times, it’s evident that there’s something special brewing.

These countries have digitized governments that will put our Healthcare.gov problems to shame, fast broadband Internet speeds beyond comparison, and instead of hookup apps, you’ll see innovations in energy alternatives. These are exactly the reasons why America’s magical tech land should keep its eyes on these countries – Estonia, South-Korea, Israel, China.

ESTONIA

You can’t talk about digital excellence without mentioning Estonia, one of the three Baltic states so innovative, it’s nicknamed “E-stonia.” In 2000, its government deemed Internet access a basic human right and free Wi-Fi became the norm throughout the land.

It was the first country to offer voting for general elections online and most Estonians file their taxes within minutes on their mobile phones. Their health records are stored in a digital cloud and can be accessed at any time with their electronic personal access key, which is also used for other services, such as registering a firm.

The country is investing in its next generation with programs such as ProgeTiiger (“Programming Tiger”) aimed at teaching basic coding to kids starting at the age of 5. How did Estonia become a world leader in technology?

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia gained it’s independence in 1991 and needed to build a new administration quickly and cost-effectively. Estonia is said to have the world’s most digitized government.

Today, Estonians are the brains behind Skype and Kazaa, an early filesharing program, and has one of the fastest broadband Internet speeds in the world.

Read the rest of the article about South Korea, Israel, China  http://www.fastcompany.com/3030100/bottom-line/4-countries-that-are-leaving-silicon-valley-in-their-tracks