The Public Voice in Emerging Market Economies Dubai, U.A.E., 15 January 2001 Access & Equity OECD Work on the Digital Divide John Dryden, OECD/ICCP
Access and Equity OECD’s work on the Digital Divide Co-operation with the dot force Upcoming policy issues
OECD’s work on the Digital Divide Telecommunication Access Indicators Digital Divide in OECD countries “Learning to Bridge the Digital Divide” Development Aid and Co-operation
What is the Digital Divide? Measuring the Digital Divide Overcoming the Digital Divide
Telecommunication access paths are the basic symptom of the digital divide Fixed plus mobile access paths per 100 inhabitants
The digital divide is even more marked for Internet access Internet hosts per inhabitants
Competition is the road to access Liberalisation in public switched telecommunications network (PSTN) markets
Liberalisation is also leading to lower bandwidth prices October 1998 = 100
Numbers of Internet hosts are rising rapidly worldwide Internet hosts per inhabitants Oct. 1997Oct. 1998Oct. 1999Oct North America Oceania Europe Central and South America Asia Africa
Differences among OECD countries remain large Internet hosts in OECD countries per inhabitants (July 2000) (gTLD adjusted)
USING THE INTERNET Secure servers are essential for e-commerce and trust Secure servers, OECD and non-members (October 2000) Share of secure servers in non-members (October 2000)
Income is an important determinant of access Internet access by household income, selected OECD countries
Educational attainment helps to explain differences in access to ICTs PC and Internet access by educational level in the Netherlands, 1999 (%)
English is the main language of the Internet Links to secure servers by language (July 2000) (All languages)
Urban homes are more connected than rural ones Internet access among rural and urban households
Alternative Internet access Cable and satellite access may increase demand for the Internet Digital TV may be a means of diminishing the digital divide Mobile telephony offers another potential route for access
Policies to bridge the digital divide Network infrastructure Infrastructure development Regulatory initiatives to enhance network competition Diffusion to individuals and households Access in schools Access in other public institutions Education and training Training in schools Vocational training Diffusion to businesses ICT support and training for small businesses Assistance to regions and rural areas Government projects Government services on line Governments as model users of ICT Multilateral co-operation
dot force Okinawa Dubai Genoa