Technical vs education discouses?
Maybe not.
Frédéric Dubois
APC information coordinator
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/26/business/lost.php -
Reuters, International Herald Tribune
World's digital divide gets smaller
Reuters
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006
BERLIN The digital divide is narrowing as citizens in emerging markets
get online via computers and mobile phones,
with some regions now on a par with developed nations, a ranking of
Web-savvy countries showed Wednesday.
"Encouraging is the apparent narrowing of the digital divide," the
annual study, published by IBM and the intelligence unit
of British magazine The Economist, said. "This is particularly evident
in basic connectivity: Emerging markets are providing
the vast majority of the world's new phone and Internet connections."
Within China and India, regions like Shanghai and Bangalore have almost
the same level of Internet and
mobile phone connections as developed nations, said Peter Korsten,
European director at IBM's Institute for Business Value.
"This is the first time we see a level playing field between developed
and developing nations in terms of
connectivity," he said. "It's up to governments to take advantage with
education and other initiatives."
The survey looks beyond basic connections and also studies how the
Internet is being used to
improve productivity and reduce costs, including online access to
public services.
"Virtually all countries have improved their scores over the past
year," the study said.
"The improvement is greater in the lower tiers of the rankings than at
the top.
As a result, the distance separating the best from the rest has
declined."
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