Spatial concentration of the ICT sector in the digital age in Central and Eastern Europe

As new digital technologies become widespread, it is crucial to understand the role of spatiality and agglomeration economies in the digital age, especially in the ICT sector. The ICT sector, with its innovative strength and the ability to complement various sectors, drives digitalization and balanced economic development. Recognizing the importance of digitalization and the ICT sector for economic development, especially in the catching-up regions of Central and Eastern Europe, this study aims at exploring the role and the spatiality of the ICT sector in the urban and rural areas of the Visegrad countries and Romania. The analysis focuses on the spatial concentration of the ICT sector and the specialization of the regions on the NUTS 3 level, distinguishing capital, intermediate metropolitan, intermediate non-metropolitan and rural areas, utilizing data on employed persons in the period 2010–2020. Findings reveal the dynamic growth and spatial concentration of the ICT sector despite the ongoing process of digitalization, particularly in capital regions, alongside the increasing significance of modern business services in agglomeration economies. Additionally, the research proves the presence of division of labour among different types of regions, reveals capital and rural regions as highly specialized regions and points to the need for place-sensitive development policy.