New York, Oct 19 2009 4:10PM
A person in a developed country is now 200 times more likely to be a broadband Internet user than someone living in a least developed country, putting the latter at a major competitive disadvantage in business and trade, according to a new United Nations report.
The report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (<"http://www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage.asp?intItemID=2068">UNCTAD) shows that some parts of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector are weathering the global economic downturn relatively well while others have suffered.
For many smaller enterprises in low-income countries, the mobile phone has overtaken computers as the most important ICT tool. Mobile telephone penetration is growing the fastest in Africa and in some other developing countries.
But the widening "broadband gap" between rich and poor has worrisome implications for economic progress in the developing world, as broadband Internet access is increasingly vital for effective business competition and trade, UNCTAD reports.
Oct 19 2009 4:10PM
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