Bangkok--19 Oct--UNISBKK
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says in a new report that some parts of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector are weathering the global economic downturn relatively well while others have suffered.
For many smaller enterprises in low-income countries, the mobile phone has overtaken computers as the most important ICT tool. Mobile telephone penetration is growing the fastest in Africa and in some other developing countries.
The “broadband gap” between rich and poor countries is widening, however, with worrisome implications for economic progress in the developing world.
Broadband Internet access is increasingly vital for effective business competition and trade. According to the report, a person in a developed country is now 200 times more likely to be a broadband user than someone living in a least developed country.