The geographical problems

Some people are still unable to gain access to fast ICT, not because they don’t have the knowledge or even because they are poor but because of the area that they live. Even now broadband internet, for example, is still not available all parts of the UK. With some broadband technologies the quality of the line diminishes the longer the length of the line. So people who are more than 5 kilometres away from a broadband enabled telephone exchange are not able to receive ADSL.

Because of these geographical issues households in some areas are excluded from appreciating the full benefits of many online services. They are stuck with an incredibly slow dial-up internet connection which makes it nearly impossible to tap into most multimedia web sites and features.

To overcome geographical and technological problems, different ICTs have been used to provide people with internet access. For example, wireless technology (wi-fi) is helping Native Americans in California go online and learn computing skills according to a BBC report. A wireless internet connection now spans an area 150 miles long by 75 miles wide benefiting many natives.

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has commented: "It is precisely in places where no infrastructure exists that wi-fi can be particularly effective, helping countries to leapfrog generations of telecommunications technology and infrastructure and empower their people." By removing the need to lay lots of cables to get communities online, wireless could help poorer nations narrow the digital divide and catch up with countries where the technology has already taken hold.

There are more factors that contribute to the digital divide, but in my opinion the three factors that I have just discussed are the main ones.

Click next to learn about the extent of the divide...