"At first glance, mobile technology appears to have the potential to allow countries in Africa to technologically ‘leapfrog’ across the digital divide and provide much needed Internet access to a wide range of people currently unable to participate in the Information Society. This study investig
...
ates whether this potential is being actualized through the survey of a non-purposive sample population living in Johannesburg, South Africa. Studies have shown that aside from being able to engage with the new technology, people must also perceive it as reliable and user friendly. As such, this article examines user’s attitudes and current behaviour with regards to this apparently highly accessible and relatively affordable medium. It also seeks to determine whether people believe that mobile technology could eclipse (or leapfrog) the use of computer technology for online activities – and if they believe that to be true, how have their usage patterns shifted, if at all?" (Abstract)
more
"This book focuses on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), which includes any technology used for communication and information, researching the social side of computing, the users, and the design of systems that meet the needs of "ordinary" users." (Publisher descript
...
ion)
more
"Am Beispiel von Bosnien-Herzegowina (BiH) zeigt Violeta Trkulja die Probleme auf, die bei der Einführung einer Informationsgesellschaft in einem Schwellen- und Nachkriegsland bestehen. Neben technischen Aspekten ist vor allem die Wissenskluft zwischen Bevölkerungsschichten für diese neue Form so
...
zialer Ungleichheit ausschlaggebend. Den Schwerpunkt legt die Autorin auf das Bildungs- und Bibliothekswesen, die Vermittlung von Informationskompetenz sowie auf den im Internet zur Verfügung stehenden Content. Darüber hinaus weist sie die Unzulänglichkeiten der bisher verwendeten Messverfahren zur Digitalen Kluft nach, die vor allem in der fehlenden Standardisierung begründet sind und darin, dass sie nicht die spezifische Situation der Schwellenländer berücksichtigen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more
"The Handbook presents a comprehensive, integrative, and global view of what has been called the digital divide. Collecting an international collaboration of experts, this Handbook of Research offers policy makers, academicians, managers, and researchers a complete reference source to the interactio
...
ns, evolutions, and policies developing within the field. The many academic areas covered in this publication include, but are not limited to: broadband access; digital divide framing and mapping; digital divide related to education; digital divide related to ethnicity; digital divide related to gender; digital literacy; e-government and the digital divide; evolution of the digital divide; inequalities of digital skills; regional differences in digital divide." (Publisher description)
more
"In the developing world, mobile phones have revolutionised telecommunication and have reached an estimated average 49.5 per cent penetration rate at the end of 2008 – from close to zero only ten years ago. This is not only faster than any other technology in the past, but the mobile phone is also
...
the single most widespread ICT today, states the first section of this report. Then, it introduces the new ICT Development Index (IDI), aimed at capturing the level of advancement of ICTs in more than 150 countries worldwide. The Index also measures the global digital divide and examines how it has developed during the five-year period from 2002 to 2007. The results suggest that globally the digital divide is as prevalent as before, but is slightly closing between countries with very high and low ICT levels. In combining prices for fixed and mobile telephony, and broadband internet access, a new ICT Price Basket provides for the first time a measurement tool for assessing ICT affordability globally. It compares prices among countries for using the three technologies in US$ values, in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) values, and as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI). The results reveal that while fixed telephone tariffs are relatively cheap in most countries, tariffs for broadband internet access are often prohibitive and thus a major impediment for less developed countries." (CAMECO Update 1-2010)
more
"This paper discusses the notions of demand, poverty, information needs, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to offer a concept of digital poverty, which may be useful to estimate the digital poverty level in Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper is composed of two sections. T
...
he first section contains a conceptual discussion of digital poverty, its types and possible levels, and the underlying economic foundations. ICTs are defined based on their use and the conditions for such use. Digital poverty is therefore defined as a lack of ICTs and might be a feature of any population segment, whether or not economically poor. The second section of this paper is an empirical attempt to validate the classification, using data from a household survey (ENAHO) carried out in Peru. The limitations in measuring digital poverty at the household level instead of at the individual level are acknowledged. Lastly, the conclusions reached, possible implications for public policy, and the avenues open for further research are presented." (Abstract)
more
"The second edition of the World Information Society Report, published by ITU and UNCTAD, looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented Information Society, open to all. The report tr
...
acks progress in digital opportunity for 181 economies over the past few years since the start of the WSIS process and is accompanied by a series of tables providing the latest statistics on the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide. The report has been created by the “Digital Opportunity Platform”, an open multi-stakeholder platform with contributions from governments, private sector, academics and civil society, as well as inter-governmental organisations." (Back cover)
more
"Der „Digital Divide“ in Subsahara Afrika ist groß, nicht zuletzt wegen der (halb-)staatlichen Monopolgesellschaften, welche das Kommunikationsfestnetz in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten mehr schlecht verwaltet als gut bewirtschaftet haben und bis heute nur ca. 1,6% der Bevölkerung in Subsahara Af
...
rika mit einem Festnetzanschluss versorgen konnten. Dadurch bleibt auch die Internetnutzung derzeit noch auf eine kleine Mittel- und Oberschicht in den urbanen Zentren in Subsahara Afrika beschränkt. Die schlechte Telekommunikationsinfrastruktur ist auch ein Grund weshalb E-Business in afrikanischen Unternehmen im formellen Sektor wenig verbreitet ist. Lediglich in südafrikanischen Unternehmen wird E-Business etwas häufiger eingesetzt. Das Internet dient dort in erster Linie zur E-Mail Kommunikation und zur Informationsrecherche. Webseiten und E-Commerce werden noch von weitaus weniger Unternehmen genutzt.
Die neuen Technologien sind aber auch eine „Digital Opportunity“ für die Region. Unternehmen welche E-Business einsetzen, realisieren durchaus Nutzeffekte. Außerdem zeigt die rasante Verbreitung von GSM-Handys, dass der Privatsektor in Subsahara Afrika dynamisch sein kann und viele schlummernden Potenziale hat, die zum Vorschein kommen, wenn die wirtschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen stimmen und Wettbewerb in diesem Bereich nicht behindert wird. Sie hat auch gezeigt, dass selbst ärmere Bevölkerungsschichten über genügend Kaufkraft verfügen, um ausländische Investoren anzuziehen. Der formelle wie informelle Sektor profitiert von dem Ausbau des Mobilfunknetzes. Regionen, die lange Zeit isoliert waren, werden durch den Ausbau der Kommunikationstechnologie in regionale Wirtschaftskreisläufe nach und nach integriert. Die vorliegende Studie beschreibt sowohl, den Status Quo, die Erfolgsfaktoren und Wirkungen als auch interne wie externe Hindernisse bei der Ausbreitung und Verwendung von IKT im Wirtschaftsleben und zeigt Handlungsansätze auf." (Kurzfassung, Seite 2)
more