Digital Divide
16 September 2009
New Africa broadband link 'ready' BBC News
A new high-speed undersea cable connecting East Africa with the rest of the world is poised to go live, Kenya's top internet official has told the BBC.
08 September 2009
The Cable is Here But East Africa is Not Ready for It The EastAfrican
East Africa may have received the first undersea fiber optic cable a month ago but it is emerging there is no requisite infrastructure to enable Seacom go deeper into the hinterland.
11 August 2009
With Cable, Laying a Basis for Growth in Africa New York Times
The opening of a fiber optic cable providing broadband Internet service to millions of people in Southern and Eastern Africa is part of an ambitious plan to expand Web access and help spur the continent's economy and technology industry.
02 August 2009
Bill Gates' Fix for India's Ills: Technology BusinessWeek
Microsoft Chairman Gates says technology -- from an electronic network for urban workers to a national ID card project -- can help India overcome its challenges
26 July 2009
Internet Plan Targets Three Billion Users in Rural Areas Business Daily Africa
An ambitious $650 million undertaking by Internet giant Google and international bank HSBC will see Internet services extended to nearly three billion people in rural areas across the world.
03 July 2009
How wide is the world's digital divide, anyway? ars technica
New broadband penetration data shows that the majority of the world has almost no home access to high-speed Internet access; in Africa, for instance, only 2% of homes have broadband. Ars takes a look at the worldwide digital divide.
20 June 2009
Internet access cost drops in some African nations Computerworld
The cost of Internet connectivity in several Africa countries is declining significantly and the speed keeps improving due to competition by ISPs according to an Internet research organization.
13 June 2009
Australian Aboriginal kids get free laptops to fight illiteracy Reuters
Soon after getting a green laptop distributed free to Aboriginal school children in hopes of combating illiteracy and truancy, Jericho Lacey learned his computer was good for more than just homework.
09 June 2009
It is up to the unwired class to get online and save themselves: Andrew Keen The Independent (UK)
Is innovation fair? Has the internet revolution resulted in more social justice and equality for everyone in society?
28 April 2009
In Developing Countries, Web Grows Without Profit & Western Companies Cut Services New York Times
Facebook is booming in Turkey and Indonesia. YouTube's audience has nearly doubled in India and Brazil. That may seem like good news. But it is also a major reason these and other Web companies with big global audiences and renowned brands struggle to turn even a tiny profit.
Laptop 'magic' lures young back to school in remote Australia The Australian
Children from remote communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory are being introduced to the digital world with their very own laptops as part of an international program aimed at boosting school attendance.
23 April 2009
British budget seeks to eliminate digital divide with BBC digital switchover surplus The Guardian
The broadband industry will be able to use the estimated £250m underspend in the BBC's digital switchover fund to bring internet access to everyone in the UK by 2012, under plans unveiled by the chancellor in today's budget.
07 April 2009
Korea Bridges Digital Divide: Korea's IT agency has advice for the Obama administration Forbes
Dr. Yeongi Son has a message for President Obama: If you're serious about making broadband a priority, establish an agency dedicated to digital divide issues.
10 March 2009
Closing the digital divide: How the spread of ICT is improving quality of life for millions in the Third World The Independent
In rural Tanzania, people are used to the daily walk to get water. Now there is a new chore: the trek to recharge the mobile. Many people walk several kilometres, two or three times a week, to keep their phone bleeping.
05 March 2009
India launches pan-African network project Computerworld
The Indian government has finally launched the pan African e-network project, a joint initiative with the African Union, which aim is to connect African countries to satellite and fiber-optic networks.
04 March 2009
Mobile phone growth helps poorer states - U.N. index Reuters
Two thirds of the world's cell phone subscriptions are in developing nations, with the highest growth rate in Africa where a quarter of the population now has a mobile, a United Nations agency said on Friday.
20 February 2009
African Nations Need to Better Utilize Emerging Technologies, Say UN Experts UN News Centre
[news release] African Governments are failing to take advantage of technological advances that can improve the delivery of services to their citizens despite the growth in mobile and information and communications technology (ICT) across the continent, United Nations experts told a meeting in Ethiopia.
16 February 2009
One Laptop Per Child looks to lower price Boston Globe
The One Laptop Per Child Foundation was established to bring the world's poor children a $100 laptop and, according to its founder, Nicholas Negroponte, the organization is still determined to reach that goal.
au: ANU helps close digital divide ABC News
Researchers from the Australian National University are working on a new project to help close the digital divide between developed and developing nations.
10 February 2009
Broadband set to grow in Africa International Herald Tribune
[Reuters] Africa is the fastest-growing telecommunications market in the world, but growth of broadband on the continent has been hamstrung by a patchy national network and costly connections to international systems. That may be about to change.
Undersea Fibre-Optic Cable Nears East African Coast East African Business Week
Undersea Fibre-Optic Cable Nears East African Coast
The wait for the landing of an undersea fibre-optic cable to boost communication in the region could be coming to fruition as indications point that one arm is almost at the East African coast.
09 February 2009
OLPC to laptop makers: Use our design CNET
The One Laptop per Child initiative seems to have found that imitation isn't simply a form of flattery, it's grounds for a new business model.
08 February 2009
The £7 laptop that wasn't The Independent
From the start, it sounded too good to be true. A laptop for just 500 rupees (£7).
03 February 2009
India to launch £7 laptop for poor Daily Telegraph (UK)
The Indian government is to unveil a £7 laptop computer in an ambitious plan to bring the internet revolution to its remote villages.
Bringing the Internet to Remote African Villages New York Times
The road from Nairobi winds 100 miles to this town deep in Masai country. The asphalt gives way to sand and dust, until finally it is just a dirt track climbing over broken hills and plunging back to desert flats. The going is slow.
