Latino Inaugural Gala 2009

Most take wireless internet and mobile phones for granted, especially here in the United States. Most also have some concept about the digital divide, even though they may not know it by that specific term. The digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to information technology and those with limited or zero access, with special attention to the term “effective.” Even though a developing nation may have fiber-optic service for its government structures, it is not considered effective access because not everyone has the ability to use it. The same goes for countries where internet is available but only those with the highest income have access.

Bridging this gap has been the focus of developed nation’s governments for years and great strides have been made; however, there is still much work that needs to be done.

The number of people on the Internet surpassed one billion in December 2008, but this only accounts for 15 to 20 percent of the world’s population with internet access. We have a long way to go. In terms of worldwide penetration rates, Asia Pacific has 416 million users (41.3 percent), Europe has 283 million (28.0 percent), North America has 185 million (18.4 percent), Latin America has 75 million (7.4 percent) and the Middle East and Africa has only 49 million or a 4.8 percent penetration rate (Internet World Stats).

While there is a noticeable divide among regions worldwide, a divide more close to home should not be overlooked. A misconception among American’s is that the United States is leading the technology battle. The truth being, there are several Asian and European nations that have technology more advanced that ours. 3G networks were rolled out in the U.S.A. in 2003 but Japan has been utilizing 3G networks since 2001 and South Korea since 2002.

As of 2008, roughly 55 percent of adult American’s had access to a high-speed internet connection at home. Lower income American’s saw no growth while nearly one-third of broadband users were paying more to get faster connections (Pew Internet Research). For a country that is so advanced (and considered one of the most powerful nations) this number is bleak. The U.S. may have a high number of users compared to other parts of the world, but our technology is far behind that of other developing nations.

Mobile

The digital divide does not only focus on internet penetration. Mobile phones are a staple of many developing nations allowing them to “leap frog” old technologies to catch up. For instance, many developing nations went from no phone usage directly to having cell phone access. These countries completely skipped land-based phone lines because of new and cheaper technologies. 62 percent of American’s are part of a wireless, mobile network. African-American’s and English-speaking Latino’s are more likely than white Americans to use non-voice data application on their cell phones, demonstrating just how far technology has come (Pew Internet Research).

In terms of telecommunications technology, mobile has had far better success in terms of usage and penetration than broadband internet. For instance, 99 percent of Jordan is covered by a mobile signal and there are 80.54 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. In comparison, there are only 1.45 broadband users and only 6 people per 100 inhabitants own computers. 100 percent of the United Arab Emirates is covered by mobile and there are 229.87 mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants! In comparison, only 8.67 people subscribe to broadband and only 30.06 people per 100 inhabitants own computers (international Telecommunication Union).

Both of these countries run efficient mobile services but their access to quality internet is obsolete. The digital divide in these countries does not comprise all information technologies. Instead, they have figured out a way to offer cheap, efficient mobile services but lack the infrastructure necessary to bring in broadband.

There is not one solution to this problem.

Different organizations have taken steps to help bridge the divide, such as One Laptop Per Child, Geekcorps, and USAID. These organizations offer technology to developing nations but more importantly, they offer the education needed to operate this equipment in ways that are beneficial to developing communities. Locate an organization that is offering services to cut the technology gap and see how you can also make a difference. While some say the divide doesn’t exist, and others say some countries are not interested, every individual must be afforded the same opportunities to high speed internet and mobile technologies.

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