The Public Voice in Emerging Market Economies Dubai

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 l OECD’s work on the Digital Divide l Co-operation with the dot l Upcoming policy issues force

OECD’s work on the Digital Divide l Telecommunication Access Indicators l Digital Divide in OECD countries l “Learning to Bridge the Digital Divide” l Development Aid and Co-operation

l What is the Digital Divide? l Measuring the Digital Divide l 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 1 000 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 1 000 inhabitants Oct. 1997 Oct. 1998 Oct. 1999 Oct. 2000 North America 46. 28 69. 74 116. 41 168. 68 Oceania 26. 81 34. 76 43. 84 59. 16 Europe 6. 13 9. 45 13. 41 20. 22 Central 0. 48 and South America Asia 0. 53 0. 91 1. 67 2. 53 0. 87 1. 28 1. 96 Africa 0. 21 0. 28 0. 31 0. 17

Differences among OECD countries remain large Internet hosts in OECD countries per 1 000 inhabitants (July 2000) (g. TLD 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 l Cable and satellite access may increase demand for the Internet l Digital TV may be a means of diminishing the digital divide l Mobile telephony offers another potential route for access

Policies to bridge the digital divide Network infrastructure Infrastructure development Regulatory initiatives to enhance network competition l Diffusion to individuals and households Access in schools Access in other public institutions l Education and training Training in schools Vocational training l Diffusion to businesses ICT support and training for small businesses Assistance to regions and rural areas l Government projects Government services on line Governments as model users of ICT l Multilateral co-operation l l l

dot force l Okinawa l Dubai l Genoa