Digital divide 'may have been overestimated`

Johannesburg, 05 Dec 2003

The size of the digital divide may have been overestimated, according to the International Telecommunication Union`s (ITU) development report for 2003.

"A close link exists between the digital and statistical divide", says Michael Minges, head of the ITU`s Market, Economics and Finance Unit and lead author of the report.

"60% of all Internet user surveys are carried out in the world`s wealthiest economies, while in the 59 poorest economies, not a single Internet user survey has been conducted."

The number of Internet users in most developing countries is usually based purely on government guesstimates or vague estimates.
Vanessa Gray, telecom analyst, ITU

According to the report, while some developed nations are comfortable conducting information society measurement - tracking factors such as infrastructure, access and usage - many developing nations are struggling to produce even basic indicators.

"The number of Internet users in most developing countries is usually based purely on government guesstimates or vague estimates", says ITU telecom analyst Vanessa Gray, co-author of the report.

She says that when developing nations have conducted proper surveys, quite a number have found that the amount of Internet users has been vastly underestimated, leading researchers to conclude that the digital divide may not be as wide in some places as was earlier assumed.

In Jamaica, a recent Internet user survey pointed to 23% of the population using the Internet, while the penetration rate before the survey was estimated at only 5%.

A similar phenomenon occurred in Peru, with a survey finding twice as many Internet users in the capital, Lima, alone than had been previously estimated for the entire country. In Mexico, a recent Internet survey also found twice as many users than earlier estimates.

Developed nations over-surveyed

The ITU report has shown that, just as there is a lack of surveys conducted in the developing world, developed nations are over-surveyed, often with conflicting results.

At least six Internet user surveys have been conducted in Spain, producing figures ranging from over 50% to less than 20% of the population being online, while Internet penetration levels compiled by national statistical offices in Europe are, on average, 13% below those published by market research organisations.

National divides

The report also highlights national digital divides that exist within businesses, schools and governments around the world.

In Chile, 93% of large businesses have Internet access - higher than the European Union average - but the corresponding figure in Chile`s SMME sector is only 37%. In Peru, 81% of central government agencies have access to the Internet while only 21% of local government offices have such access.

Also, while Mexico`s top secondary schools provide one computer for every 12 students - better than Germany, where the figure is one to 14 - the corresponding ratio for Mexico`s bottom quartile of schools is 59 students for every computer.

The ITU report is considered especially relevant as global leaders are gathering next week for the first World Summit on the Information Society, aimed at boosting ICT access in underserved economies and forging ways for powerful ICT tools to serve higher socio-economic goals.