Gender digital divide in Rwanda: A qualitative analysis of socioeconomic factors

This study aims at exploring how information and communications technology (ICT) is accessed and used by women and men in Rwanda. Specifically, we analyze the factors that contribute to the gender digital divide in Rwanda. In addition, we assess the importance of equal access to ICTs between genders. Rwanda is a particulary interesting case study, since previous studies on gender differences in the usage and accessibility of ICTs have focused on Western countries, while Africa, and Rwanda in particular, have been less covered. The qualitative method of in-depth interviews was used to collect the data. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis technique. The findings of this study reveal that a gender digital divide still exists in Rwanda, even though the government puts forth much effort to eradicate this phenomenon. Reasons for barriers for women’s access to ICTs were found in social, economic and cultural factors, such as feelings of lack of self-worth, self-confidence, and proper educations; heavy domestic responsibilities; and computer anxiety. The findings also indicated that equal access to ICTs would be a shortcut to economic growth in Rwanda. This study concludes that Rwandan women need to be better educated in the use of computer technologies. Certain gender-sensitive strategies that guide the use of ICTs in this way also need to be established.     

Bridging digital divide: Efforts in India

The fruits of Information Technology sector such as the Internet blue chips, online shopping and nanosecond email have failed to cure century-old malaises like illiteracy, poverty and unemployment in India. The paper presents few facts about digital divide based on global and the USA perspective, its definition and types as global, regional and national, and societal implications. It highlights India in the context of digital divide by discussing its infrastructural bottleneck that includes electricity, IT penetration, teledensity and Internet industry, and its enabling policies to transform India as a knowledge society. It discusses various technology options for connectivity, viz. terrestrial wireless, satellite, wireline, etc. and presents snap shots of select successful projects that made an impact in helping to bridge digital divide in India, viz. passenger reservation system, Akashganga, Akshaya e-centres, Bhoomi, etc. It concludes that creation of Information and Communication Technologies infrastructure and content are the core methodologies, and a national agenda on a C-8 thrust towards: connectivity provision, content creation, capacity augmentation, core technologies creation and exploitation, cost reduction, competence building, community participation and commitment to the deprived and disadvantaged would definitely help in bridging digital divide.     

Determinants of Internet skills,uses and outcomes. A systematic review of the second- and third-level digital divide

Recently, several digital divide scholars suggested that a shift is needed from a focus on binary Internet access (first-level digital divide) and Internet skills and use (second-level digital divide) to a third-level digital divide in which the tangible outcomes of Internet use are highlighted. A plethora of studies have been conducted to identify determinants of digital divides. Unfortunately, there is a lack of consistency in the terminology used. Moreover, terms are often not theoretically grounded. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review of digital divide determinants. The results show that the third-level digital divide was underexposed. The primary focus is on Internet use. More importantly, the identified determinants show that digital divide research is largely limited to sociodemographic and socioeconomic determinants.     

Digital Divides From Access to Activities: Comparing Mobile and Personal Computer Internet Users

Digital inequality can take many forms. Four forms studied here are access to Internet, use of different devices, extent of usage, and engagement in different Internet activities. However, it is not clear whether sociodemographic factors, or devices, are more influential in usage and activities. Results from an unfamiliar context show that there are significant sociodemographic influences on access, device, usage, and activities, and differences in activities by device type and usage. While sociodemographic differences are more influential, device type can increase likelihood of use for some “capital enhancing” activities, but only for a computer. Thus, although mobile Internet is available for those on the wrong side of the digital divide, these users do not engage in many activities, decreasing potential benefits.     

Cyber elites: a survey of Internet Café users in Uganda

This study examines the prospects and problems of Internet use and access in Africa, focusing on a profile of Internet café users in Uganda. It concludes that while initiatives such as cyber cafés have brought the Internet and ICT closer to more people in developing countries, the bad news is that these initiatives, especially when they are commercially based, may only be increasing the digital divide within poor countries.     

A Study of the Effects of the Current InternationalSettlement of Internet

1　TheUnbalancedDevelopmentofInternetandtheDigitalDivideAmongCountries　　Withtheadvanceofinformationtechnology ,Internethaspenetratedintovariousaspectsofsocialandeconomiclifedeeplyandimprovedthedevelop mentofproductivityenormously ,which producestheobvioustendencyofeconomicglobalization .In ternetexpeditestheprocessofeconomicglobaliza tion ,throughwhichanycountrywouldbeabletoparticipateintheglobalproductionandrebuildingthetraditionalindustrymoreintensivelyandexten sively.Alotofnewinformati…     

Networks of Networks: Changing Patterns in Country Bandwidth and Centrality in Global Information Infrastructure, 2002–2010

Linkages between countries have changed significantly as the global information infrastructure has evolved over the past decade. We argue that communication infrastructure and political processes evolve together, and in this study we attempt to measure key structural changes in bandwidth and the centrality of digital nodes in Middle East and North Africa. Using a combination of bandwidth metrics and centrality indicators, we demonstrate how global information infrastructure evolved between 2002 and 2010, and how several countries in the Middle East rose to prominence as good nodes mediating strong intraregional networks.     

Value systems and intentions to interact in social media: The digital natives

Current research on social media focus on perceptions, behavioural intention, usage, and seldom take value systems into account. Values are expected to impact behaviour directly or indirectly via intervening constructs, for example, attitude. This paper explores, starting from the Theory of Trying, how value systems impact the digital natives’ interactive behaviour with social media. An empirical research is executed to test a model based on global and domain-specific values, and attitudes towards trying in explaining usage. Based on 116 valid responses from a sample of digital natives, several alternative models were tested. The proposed model based on the theory of trying shows that domain-specific values positively influence behaviour and usage of social media. Attitude towards trying positively mediates the effect of domain-specific values and global values on interactive behaviour with social media. Global values do not influence domain-specific values, nor has a direct impact on behaviour.     

Behind the growth of FinTech in South Korea: Digital divide in the use of digital financial services

Advancements in financial technology, known as “FinTech,” will help both businesses and consumers of financial services. South Korea has a well-established FinTech infrastructure and resources, and has already incorporated digital financial services into daily life. However, the benefit of the proliferation of FinTech might be disproportionate in reaching diverse groups. The goal of this study is to examine how digital financial services are used in South Korea with an emphasis on disparities in the use of digital financial services. This study used the 2019 Digital Divide Survey conducted in South Korea to conduct OLS regression analysis, and create the Concentration Index (CI), which estimates the disparities that are systematically related to income level. Next, decomposition analysis on the CI was conducted to determine what factors help explain the disparity in the use of digital financial services. The analysis confirmed that there are considerable differences in the usage by income level. The multivariate results reveal that one’s device proficiency and active involvement in utilizing the internet for basic activities played significant roles in explaining the level of digital financial services usage. Poorer individuals' attitudes toward new technologies, such as a lack of interest in participating in learning and confidence in obtaining new digital skills, may prevent them from using digital financial services. This study is one of few studies to use the CI technique to examine the digital divide in digital financial services, and provide insights for educators, businesses, and policymakers.     

Technology priorities for the White House

What issues related to technology will the next US President confront? Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush. Both offer up glowing words about the social, political, and economic wonders wrought by technology. Both promise, if elected, to keep that spirit of innovation alive. Regardless of who wins in November, the next Administration will confront a raft of technology-related problems. Some of these, like biotechnology and on-line privacy, have only begun to be taken up in policy circles. In more mature areas, like energy and air quality, and telecommunications, Federal rules may have unexpected downstream effects. And in issues that cross national borders, such as global warming, the so-called digital divide, and military policy, whatever path the new government takes will likely influence the course of events worldwide. Some of the main technological issues that will confront the new president are discussed including human genetics, the deepening digital divide, global warming, air pollution, electricity deregulation, privacy of information on computer networks, a national missile defence system, and telecommunication competition     

我国区域数字鸿沟静态与动态综合测度

通过对已有关于数字鸿沟综合指标体系、测度模型和结构模型等方面研究成果的总结、分析、归纳和演绎,本文确定了适合测度我国区域数字鸿沟涵盖技术、经济、政府、教育、社会5个方面的综合指标体系。应用层次分析法,通过专家评分,计算判断矩阵,对指标体系中各指标赋予了权重。在采集我国31个省市自治区2002-2007年共6年数据的基础上,利用均值化法对数据进行标准化,既对数据进行了无量纲处理又保留其变异程度信息,根据计算出的各年数字鸿沟指数值和排名,对我国区域数字鸿沟进行了静态分析。进一步结合平均差分析法分析数字鸿沟历年变化趋势,进行了动态测度。论文创新性地解决了难以量化的数字鸿沟综合指标随时间变化所呈现的差距变化真实水平的量化问题。论文最后还分析了数字鸿沟的分布情况和成因,提出了缩小我国区域数字鸿沟的指导建议。     

A DRM Framework for Distributing Digital Contents through the Internet

This paper describes our design of a contents distribution framework that supports transparent distribution of digital contents on the Internet as well as copyright protection of participants in the contents distribution value chain. Copyright protection must ensure that participants in the distribution channel get the royalties due to them and that purchasers use the contents according to usage rules. It must also prevent illegal draining of digital contents. To design a contents distribution framework satisfying the above requirements, we first present four digital contents distribution models. On the basis of the suggested distribution models, we designed a contract system for distribution of royalties among participants in the contents distribution channel, a license mechanism for enforcement of contents usage to purchasers, and both a packaging mechanism and a secure client system for prevention of illegal draining of digital contents.     

Zipper VDSL: a solution for robust duplex communication overtelephone lines

We overview a digital duplex scheme called Zipper, intended for DMT-based VDSL systems. The Zipper multicarrier duplex scheme represents a breakthrough toward digital implementation of frequency-division duplexing. A duplex scheme is a method to divide the capacity of a line between the upstream and downstream directions. Zipper divides the available bandwidth by assigning different subcarriers for the different directions. As a prerequisite, DMT symbols are extended with an additional cyclic suffix, and are shaped at both the transmitter and receiver. Zipper is characterized by high flexibility and high spectral compatibility with programmable spectrum usage, robustness against frequency-selective impairments such as radio frequency interference and bridge taps, interoperability with ADSL, and high spectral efficiency since no guard bands are needed     

Explaining caste-based digital divide in India

With the increasing importance of information and communication technologies in access to basic services like education and health, the question of digital divide based on caste assumes importance in India where large socioeconomic disparities persist between different caste groups. Studies on caste-based digital inequality are still scanty in India. Using nationally representative survey data, this paper analyzes the first-level digital divide (ownership of computer and access to the Internet) and the second-level digital divide (individuals skills to use computer and the Internet) between the disadvantaged caste groups and Others. Further, this paper identifies the caste-based differences in socioeconomic factors that contribute to the digital divide between these groups using a non-linear decomposition method. The results show that there exists large first-level and second-level digital divide between the disadvantaged caste groups and Others in India. The non-linear decomposition results indicate that caste-based digital divide in India is rooted in historical socioeconomic deprivation of disadvantaged caste groups. More than half of the caste-based digital gap is attributable to differences in educational attainment and income between the disadvantaged caste groups and Others. Findings of this study highlight the urgent need for addressing educational and income inequality between the different caste groups in India in order to bridge the digital divide.     

Bridging the digital divide among low income urban communities. Leveraging use of Community Technology Centers

To fully leverage the availability of the internet services in Kenya, all the citizens need to be able to access and use the internet and related services. The availability of 4G networks, cyber cafés and fiber connectivity in most residential areas of Nairobi has allowed many Nairobi residents to be part of its information-based society. But, as with the other existing social inequalities in Nairobi, many people residing in the city’s low-income areas lack access to the internet. This has a negative impact on the residents’ prospects as the governments and businesses are increasingly delivering their services online. Using a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected from five hundred and fifty respondents on their internet access and digital literacy skills among the residents of the Mathare Slum. From the survey, the study found existence of limited digital literacy skills and lack of internet access among the residents of the Mathare Slum. The study then used the Community Technology Centers (CTCs) intervention approach to narrowing the digital divide by setting up a CTC in the Mathare Slum to offer free community internet access and digital literacy skills training. Eight cohorts, each of eighteen residents, were offered free digital literacy training for five weeks and free unlimited internet access for four months. The study then evaluated the trainees’ internet usage continuance intentions after four months of continued use of the internet at the CTC. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, internet self-efficacy, and confirmation of expectations all significantly influence the participants’ satisfaction with use of the internet. The results also show that continuance intentions of the participants from low income household to continue using internet beyond the CTC can be predicted by perceived service cost, satisfaction, internet self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of CTCs as an intervention approach and a replicable model that can be used to bridge the urban digital divide among low income urban communities for the development of an all-inclusive information-based society. Implications and recommendations for policy, practice and research are provided.     

Managing IP services over a PACS Packet Network

We have developed a system and network architecture to provide IP services in the Personal Access Communications System (PACS). IP datagrams are delivered to PACS users through the PACS packet-mode data service, achieving more efficient usage of wireless resources and supporting multimedia applications such as MBone audio and video. The architecture presented in this article augments the PACS voice network with IP routers and backbone links, called the PACS Packet Network (PPN), and is connected to the global Internet via gateways. Compared to the cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, which employs its own network-layer mobility protocol and thus supports roaming within the CDPD network only, we have incorporated Mobile IP into the PACS handoff mechanism to further achieve global IP mobility. We have also developed native PACS multicast and a group management scheme to efficiently handle dynamic IP multicast and MBone connectivity. These features seamlessly integrate PACS into the global Internet and provide standard-conforming IP services with global mobility     

“Communities of strangerhoods?”: Internet,mobile phones and the changing nature of radio cultures in South Africa

This article analyses the role of new media technologies in transforming radio practices in South Africa in terms of institutional cultures and audience engagement. With emphasis on the Internet and mobile phones, the paper focuses on three radio stations – Safm, Talk Radio 702, and Bush Radio. Drawing on theories of public spheres and theories of publics, the paper argues that ICTs have expanded communicative radio spaces and transformed the nature of audience engagement. Through these expanded spaces, radio stations increasingly view their listeners as publics rather than merely audiences, meaning that listeners now produce, circulate and share information in ways that allow them to organise themselves into a public around radio texts. While the argument in this paper has acknowledged the positive role of ICTs in expanding discursive spaces and transforming radio publics, realities of the digital divide in South Africa are not ignored.     

Africa ONE: the Africa Optical Network

Describes the architecture of the Africa Optical Network (Africa ONE) that will encircle the entire continent of Africa with an undersea fiber optic ring network. Using a combination of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) multiplex and cross-connect equipment, Africa ONE brings together a unique blend of technology to achieve network robustness. The article traces the need for this regional network and how it fits into the global undersea communications network. Also the authors describe the network elements that make up the transmission topology, the methodology used for interconnecting each African country to this network, protection and restoration of the network, and the network management system. Africa-ONE is a 40,000 km trunk and branch network that is planned to be ready for service in 1999. The present article presents the architecture of the undersea portion of the Africa-ONE project     

Does digital inclusion affect quality of life? Evidence from Australian household panel data

The evidence on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in enhancing quality of life (QoL) is mixed and the precise nature of this relationship is not yet fully understood. Existing single equation-based empirical works have provided a number of specific insights, but there remains a gap in our understanding of the association between digital inclusion and QoL. The current study seeks to fill this gap by capturing the simultaneous association between digital inclusion and QoL. This study employs simultaneous equation models based on a two-stage and full-information likelihood method using a household-level longitudinal dataset of Australia to explore the relationship between QoL and digital inclusion. This research confirms that digital inclusion significantly predicts QoL and vice versa. Socio-economic advantages, remoteness, rural-urban divide and lifestyle also appear to be significant determinants of the QoL. Findings from the study imply that to promote digital inclusion, policymakers should emphasise not only supply-side issues but also demand-side strategies including the enhancement of digital skills and affordability for the users.     

Path Loss Modeling Based on Field Measurements Using Deployed 3.5 GHz WiMAX Network

WiMAX technology carries the promise of broadband access and wireless coverage. Developing countries throughout the world have been fast at adopting and employing the new technology to bridge the digital divide. The deployment of WiMAX networks enables the validation and testing of the technology. It is imperative that the technology be tested in different environments and the results shared and compared. Jordan provides a unique environment in its architecture, building construction materials, usage model, topology and vegetation. This work considers a mobile WiMAX network operating at 3.5 GHz deployed in Amman, Jordan. The work presents a new model for predicting path loss based on the results of field measurements of signals power and it compares proposed model and measured data to different propagation models.