"Providing access to ICTs to every citizen is critical to meet the new challenges of globalisation and performance, especially in West and Central Africa. To achieve this, Universal Service/Access policies have a major role to play. This study first attempts to define the concept of Universal Servic
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e/Access as well as its underlying principles and issues. Main trends of universality policies and strategies in West and Central Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana) are then identified. Case studies and lessons outside the regions are presented in order to identify some innovative practices that could be adapted at the national or at the regional level in the two regions. Some recommendations are then drawn to the attention of the main stakeholders." (Abstract)
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"The proliferation of new information technologies throughout the world has raised some important questions for policymakers as to how developing countries can benefit from their diffusion. This important volume compares the advantages and disadvantages of the IT revolution through detailed studies
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of a variety of developed and developing nations and regions: Argentina, Estonia, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the USA." (Publisher description)
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"This cross-country study compiles data and calculates ICT Development Indices for the following: connectivity (physical infrastructure for ICTs, in penetration rates of Internet hosts, PCs, telephone mainlines and mobile phones per capita); wider access to ICTs (literacy, GDP per capita and cost of
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local calls, as well as actual number of Internet users); usage of ICTs (incoming and outgoing telecom traffic, as an alternative to Internet data traffic flows in the absence of publicly available statistics on these); and policy environment (a wider policy framework conducive to the adoption and absorption of ICTs, which can be evaluated in terms of the presence of a domestic Internet exchange, as well as competition in the local loop, domestic long-distance and ISP markets). This study analyses country and regional rankings based on these index measurements, and reviews results over time to identify interesting trends. It also seeks to evaluate the extent and evolution of the digital divide, using basic measures of hardware equipment and numbers of Internet users in each country, to determine how the digital divide is evolving over time." (Preface)
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"This research of Orbicom entitled Monitoring the Digital Divide… and beyond is a contribution to the international community in the context of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Geneva, December 2003. It sets high standards in international benchmarking and places particular emph
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asis on developing countries. Its unique features are: a cohesive conceptual Framework, which goes beyond connectivity measures and logically incorporates skills, as well as offers rich analytical linkages; explicit measurements both across countries at a given point in time and within countries over-time in such a way that comparisons are not reduced to changing rankings from year to year; policy relevant results on a component-by-component basis; immediate benchmarking against the average of all countries (Hypothetica) and the planet as a whole (Planetia); use of existing and reliable data sets with a sound and transparent statistical methodology. The empirical application of the model covers a great number of countries. Measurements of networks are offered for 192 countries, covering 99% of the population of the planet; of skills and overall Infodensity for 153 countries representing 98% of the population; of Info-use 143 countries and overall Infostate 139 countries, both accounting for 95% of the global population. The results are based on 21 variables, reliable, tested and available to all and extends over the 1996-2001 period." (Publisher description)
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