26/11/2012

IDG Connect Dan Swinhoe (South America) - The Digital Divide And Its Impact In Latin America

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Dan Swinhoe (South America) - The Digital Divide And Its Impact In Latin America
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What you're Saying Dan Swinhoe (Global) - The App Revolution: How this Varies By Market
The App Culture is b ig in early adopter Urb an Markets, b ut is unknown among those who have no mob ile devices other than cell phones and do no plan to b uy... Alan Hale
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11-26-2012

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In the run up to Christmas, you might b e thinking whether you'll b e getting an iPad, Kindle, Wii or any numb er of other gizmos and gadgets, the majority of which rely on the internet to connect you to the rest of the world. But spare a thought for those who don't have access to the World Wide Web . UN figures estimate nearly 50% of the world's people still have limited or no access to a computer. The digital divide has b een an issue as long as digital has b een a mass commodity. The haves with the latest gizmos and the b enefits they can b ring, and the have-nots living in the digital dark-ages. A prob lem prevalent in emerging markets such as Africa and Latin America; it's often a prob lem that defines the difference b etween the urb an and rural populations. This year's Glob al Information Technology Report, which looks at IT adoption across the world, takes a dim view of LatAm. "Latin America and the Carib b ean continue to suffer from an important lag in adopting ICT and technology more b roadly," it says. "This is reflected in the rankings, as no country manages to reach the top 30 and only a handful of small economies manage to b e included among the top 50." "Although the region is vast and heterogeneous, three shared reasons for this lag can b e identified: these countries all exhib it an insufficient investment in developing their ICT infrastructure, a weak skill b ase in the population b ecause of poor educational systems that hinder society's capacity to make an effective use of these technologies, and unfavourab le b usiness conditions that do not support the spur of entrepreneurship and innovation." For example, in Mexico, the capital may have the latest infrastructure and technology, b ut according to the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI), ab out 82 million people - 70% of Mexicans - have no access to a computer or the Internet. Considering its proximity to the super-connected US it's surprising that Mexico is b ehind Colomb ia, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina in Internet access.

Dan Swinhoe (Global) - The App Revolution: How this Varies By Market
Andy Grove once said, "Imagine a world where infinite b andwidth meets infinite mips"...and for all intents and purposes we are virtually living in that... George Porter 11-25-2012

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IDG Connect Dan Swinhoe (South America) - The Digital Divide And Its Impact In Latin America

Seoul Space IDG Connect Marketers ILX Group Gerdau SA Afrinnovator South African Local Government Association idgconnectlaw Popular Tags idgconnect Technology IT Infrastructure While things have improved recently, in 2010 just 35% of households had a computer, with the rich over five times more likely to b e owners than the poor. And half of those who don't have the Internet cite money as a major reason. A report b y the Economic Commission on Latin America and the Carib b ean found that nearly 60% of urb an 15-year-olds in Mexico had access to a computer in 2009, compared to just over 20% of rural students. The size of the digital divide varies wildly across the region, b ut most countries are making an effort to reduce it. Internet cafes, government projects, and NGOs are all helping. For example, Brazil has launched a new program to b ring low-cost Internet service to 70% of the country's households b y 2014, while Panama's government uses free internet initiatives to get as many people as possib le online. The UN is also helping with lessons for rural women as an empowerment tool. Programs to give one noteb ook per child have b een introduced in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, resulting in almost 2 million b eing given away. Even BT is helping in Colomb ia with its own projects. Cloud Computing

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Global Map of Digital Access [Source- http://chartsb in.com/view/qnr Digital Access Index (DAI)]

In the Measuring the Information Society report which ranks countries' performances with regard to ICT infrastructure and uptake, and the affordab ility of ICT services, LatAm is in danger of taking a step b ackwards. While some countries such as Brazil made b ig leaps forward, gaining seven places, many stayed the same or moved down in the rankings. While penetration levels and some costs (though not all) are down on last year, things aren't moving as quickly as they should b e. Bolivia's b roadb and remain the slowest and most costly in the region - keeping adoption levels extremely low. Recently, a study b y the CCi that looked at the use of Internet in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Mexico, Spain Poland and the UK, found Mexicans were the least likely to shop, gamb le or look at sexual content online. That Mexico has the lowest level of internet penetration, digital literacy and poorest population out of those in the study isn't a coincidence. There may b e other reasons, b ut when Chile is b eing lauded for online participation the fact that it's internet penetration is much higher b ecomes glaringly ob vious.

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IDG Connect Dan Swinhoe (South America) - The Digital Divide And Its Impact In Latin America

It's not just spending money online that gets left b y the wayside in the digital divide. Education can suffer, not to mention democracy itself. E-Government is the future of democracy, whether it's connecting to political figures through Twitter or accessing services in the same vein as the UK's YouGov site, technology is a powerful tool in politics. Again it's Chile that scores highest in the region. Each county within the region is at different stages - b igger economies like Brazil and Argentina are leading and even making way for newer technologies such as 4G, while others are still introducing the Internet on a wider scale. Some smaller countries are making progress, such as Peru, while others, such as Belize, are disappointing. Reducing the divide may seem like a huge project, b ut the b enefits make it more expensive not to in the long run. Better access enab les remote learning, which in turn improves education and literacy levels, which turn improves the quality of life for people, which helps the government. Things are, and will continue to improve. With Latin America's strong and growing economy, it makes sense that it's in everyone's b est interest to make b est use of a country's most valuab le assets - its people. And the b etter connected they are, the b etter they can help in return.

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