Mobile phone growth fails to bridge digital divide

Thursday, 9 February 2012

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RESEARCH

A study by United Nations regional arm the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) shows that both phone and Internet use has increased over the last five years in the Asia-Pacific region since 2003.

The number of mobile phone subscribers has increased by nearly 70 times in South Asia between 2000 and 2007, and by over 40 times in Central Asia. In Southeast Asia, which has a relatively more developed market, the number of subscribers grew by about 10 times. Yet, the growth is the fastest in the poorest countries in the region. The least developed countries in the region have seen their mobile phone users increased by close to 80 times.

By contrast, the gap between rich and poor nations in internet access has widened over the same period of time.

At the top end, the most connected five countries in the region—New Zealand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Malaysia—have 55 per cent to 80 per cent of their populations connected to the internet in 2007. For the bottom five countries, Myanmar, Timor-Leste , Tajikistan , Bangladesh and Cambodia, less than one per cent of the population uses the Internet. Asia-Pacific region on a whole averages at 20 per cent.