Last year Finland became the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right of each citizen (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10461048). Few months later it was followed by Spain (http://thenextweb.com/eu/2009/11/19/finland-spain-broadband-legal/). A poll of the BBC World reveals that four in five people around the world believe internet access is a fundamental right (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm).
In Europe this is easily achievable. But what about the rest of the world? A UN report from 2010 reveals that the “digital divide” is widening both in terms of access and in terms of cost (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11162656). The Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Malawi, Guinea and Niger are the most expensive places with broadband access ranging from 10 to 40 times the average monthly income there. At the other end are Macao in China, Israel, Hong Kong, United States and Singapore, where the broadband access costs between 0,3 and 0,5% of the average monthly income in these countries. In Bulgaria this human right seems within reach as the cost is about 2-3% of the average monthly income. But Africa seems to fall short in achieving yet another human right.
I wonder if one way round the broadband issue in Africa is similar to the phone issue, where mobile phones are more widely available than landlines (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6986804.stm) / Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/katine-chronicles-blog/2010/jan/14/mobile-phones-africa) ).
ReplyDeleteThe other issues on broadband for Africa are the need for computers (or phones)to access it and the literacy skills to take advantage of it.
Mobile apps are being created such as one to help farmers find out much much milk is being sold for at the market. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-12/tech/africa.apps_1_mobile-phone-farmers-africa?_s=PM:TECH
Shirely, thanks for the interesting links. The mobile apps are a quite easy and cheap way to empower local people. I hope they work.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best examples of how this problem is being attempted to overcome:
ReplyDeletehttp://one.laptop.org/about/mission
As Shirley has implied the mobile internet via mobile phones has been the key provider of iniital internet access in much of Asia, including Japan. It appears part cultural and part infrastructural.
Michael, this project is pretty amazing and from what I read already 2 million kids have laptops. I signed up for helping out with translation in Bulgarian, I hope it works.
ReplyDelete