In July 2015, the Economist Intelligence Unit acquired Canback & Company, a global management consulting firm serving primarily consumer-facing industries and leveraging predictive analytics.

These cities are favoured for several reasons, including the breadth of business opportunities available, the ongoing construction boom, rising home and vehicle ownership and spending on personal appliances.

With ambitious targets for both the speed and coverage of next-generation broadband networks, the developed countries of Southeast Asia scored highest.

According to the index, Greece is the worst-performing country measured, due to its relatively low coverage target and drawn-out deployment schedule.

Greece also suffers due to the considerable size of its public-funding commitment as a percentage of overall government budget revenues, and because its plan does little to encourage competition.