"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

'Digital divide' widens between rich and poor countries: UN

GENEVA-The "digital divide" between rich and poor countries is growing with developing countries still far behind in the use of broadband internet, the UN trade and development agency has warned.Developed countries are expected to reach a broadband penetration rate of 28 percent in 2008, while developing countries languish on just 3.0 percent, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report issued late Wednesday."The diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT) in developing countries is growing but ... such countries lag far behind the industrialised world in the application of ICT and its use by businesses," UNCTAD said in its "Information Economy Report 2007-2008."The gap has widened for broadband "due to the fast pace of technological development" and associated high costs, UNCTAD official Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen said.UNCTAD has already highlighted broadband as a vital tool in economic development, saying last November that it is so vital for businesses that it should be considered a utility comparable to water and electricity.UNCTAD did note some progress in narrowing other aspects of the digital divide since its November 2006 report, particularly with the use of mobile phone technology.For 2008, it expects developing countries to reach a mobile penetration rate of nearly 50 percent, although this is still way behind developed countries which have reached saturation point with some rates above 100 percent.Mobile phone subscribers almost tripled in developing countries over the last five years and now make up 58 percent of global subscribers, UNCTAD said."Mobile handsets provide a starting point for digital literacy," Tran-Nguyen said."For many individuals and communities, once the initial hurdle of ICT acceptance has been overcome, the adoption of higher-level technologies may be less daunting," she added.UNCTAD urged the international community to take steps to bridge the digital divide, such as improving flexibility on intellectual property rights, boosting infrastructure in developing countries, establishing public-private partnerships for research and development, and promoting open access models."Significant reductions in this divide will only be possible with the sustained support of the international community," the report said.

As in the days of Noah.....