Home ›› 30 Nov 2021 ›› Editorial
The term digital divide became popular in the mid-1990s, when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the US Department of Commerce published “Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the ‘Have Nots’ in Rural and Urban America” (1995), a research report on Internet diffusion among Americans. The report revealed widespread inequalities in national ICT access, with migrant or ethnic minority groups and older, less-affluent people living in rural areas with low educational attainments being especially excluded from Internet services. That pattern was confirmed by follow-up surveys by the NTIA, which indicated also an initial gender gap in favour of men. On the global level, additional factors such as per capita gross domestic product, international trade volume, degree of democratization, deregulation of the telecommunications market, density of communication infrastructure, and investments in research and development also influence Internet diffusion. Thus, industrial societies are more prone to implement new technologies than less-developed countries. For example, by 2012 the greatest intensity of national ICT access and usage had occurred in South Korea, Japan, and northern Europe.
The digital divide was initially attributed to underdevelopment and was perceived as something temporary that would disappear with the popularisation of technology. Instead, the divide persists today despite the mass marketing of electronic devices with Internet access. The causes can range from the high price of the above-mentioned devices to the lack of knowledge about their use or the lack of infrastructure for their access. In this regard, we review the types of digital divide:
Access divide. It refers to the possibilities that people have to access this resource. This is where socio-economic differences between people and between countries come into play, since digitisation requires very costly investments and infrastructure for less developed regions and for rural areas.It refers to the lack of digital skills,which impedes the handling of technology. In this regard, and to give an example, the ITU points out that there are 40 countries in which more than half of their inhabitants do not know how to attach a file to an email.
Quality of use gap. Sometimes they have the digital skills to find their way around the Internet, but not the knowledge to make good use of and get the most out of it. For example, with regard to access to quality information.
A few years ago, ITU established the Digital Access Index (DAI), which measures the overall ability of a country's citizens to access and use ICT. This index takes into account various variables grouped around five categories, which are as follows: quality, infrastructure, knowledge, accessibility and use.
Technological discrimination is a form of poverty and social exclusion, depriving some citizens of essential resources for development and wealth generation. We have seen this a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic, as many students and workers found it difficult to work from home and follow classes online. We review the main effects of the digital divide below:
People in remote areas who do not have access to the Internet are disconnected. Something similar happens to urban residents who are disconnected which causes social isolation.
The coronavirus crisis has shown the effects of the digital divide in education: teachers and students out of the loop because they lack sufficient technology and digital skills. It also increases lack of knowledge by limiting access to knowledge.
The UN includes the reduction of the digital divide in its Sustainable Development Goals. That is why, in many places initiatives have been launched to facilitate access to technology. Here we mention some of the most relevant ones:
Digital literacy programs. They instruct people in less-favoured areas of Internet use to improve their personal well-being.
Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). This project, led by an international coalition of governments, businesses and civil society, aims to lower the cost of broadband in specific areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Starting in the early 1990s, Bangladesh had dialup access to emails using the Bulletin Board System of a few local providers, but the number of users did not total more than 500. Users were charged by the kilobytes and email was transferred from the BBS service providers to the rest of the world by international dialup using UUCP.
In June 1996 the first VSAT base data circuit in the country was commissioned and the Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB) granted licenses to two Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In subsequent years more liberal government policies led to a rapid expansion of the industry, resulting in over 180 registered ISP's by 2005. ISPs are currently regulated by the Bangladesh Telephone Regulatory Commission (BTRC) through the Bangladesh Telecommunications Act.
In May 2006 Bangladesh inaugurated new submarine cable optic fibre connectivity as part of the 16 country consortium SEA-ME-Wae 4 project. The landing station is in Cox’s Bazar. . In July 2008 the Submarine Cable Project was transformed into the company Bangladesh Submarine Cables Company Ltd, which is now responsible for all services related to the submarine cable.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the power to help the nation to meet the challenges in today's global market. It is critical for the people of the country to change their attitude towards the development of ICT to increase the economy's growth. For a while now, Bangladesh has been trying to become an ICT-driven nation and has adopted numerous technologies to address multiple issues - hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, discrimination, and many more.
However, according to a study by ActionAid Bangladesh in 2020, only 50 per cent of the households in urban areas have internet access whereas, less than 30 per cent of homes in rural areas have it. The issue of ICT reaching a minority population is not limited to Bangladesh only, but it is also a problem for the world. As of January 2021, only 59.5 per cent of the global population has internet access. It is creating a digital divide globally, including Bangladesh, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The term 'digital divide' refers to a gap between people who have access to ICT and those who do not have access or are restricted to it. The gap is harmful to any economy as it prevents societies from utilising the full benefits of ICT. SMEs play a vital role in contributing to the growth of the economy. The pandemic took a severe hit on the employment sector of the world, including Bangladesh. Not only that, the crisis has also impacted the SME industry too. According to Future of Business, 50 per cent of the SMEs got closed down between January and May 2020.
Due to the digital gap, numerous SMEs are unable to switch to online platforms, unlike other large businesses. Multiple SMEs have already changed to online platforms; however, many are struggling because they either do not have proper knowledge about the navigation system or do not have access to the internet itself. Without accurate guidance and technical expertise, it can be daunting for entrepreneurs to operate their business online. Thus, it is vital to enhance digital skills among everyone, especially the youths and the poor.
Fortunately, numerous organisations nationwide have been trying to promote the penetration of SMEs. To that end, Daraz has recently created different ways for SMEs to switch to online platforms and conveniently reach local and global markets. Intending to empower entrepreneurs across the country, Daraz promises simplified solutions to accelerate digital transformation, simultaneously supporting SMEs for their growth. Daraz also provides retailers loan facilities from Tk 0.1 million to Tk 4.0 million, depending on the business requirements, enabling SMEs to take the first steps to achieve their growth goals. Moreover, multiple telecommunication companies are trying to provide enterprises with connectivity solutions to meet emerging connectivity needs.
Any efforts towards harnessing data and cross-border data flows will require adequate attention to the current divides that characterize the global digital economy. They can be seen not only between countries, but also between stakeholders. For example, the lack of appropriate skill sets in government directly results in insufficient representation of technical and analytical expertise in legislative and regulatory framework development processes. This in turn limits the chances of Governments to identify both the opportunities that could be afforded by digital technologies and the potential risks and threats that could emerge, as well as ways to regulate them. These risks translate into increased public dependency on the profit-driven private sector, with democratic values and individual human rights significantly undermined. Less-developed countries also suffer from losing their top talent to developed countries, and have smaller representation in setting up the global policy discussion – contributing further to the growing global inequality.
The writer is CEO and MD of Community Bank. He can be contacted at masihul1811@gmail.com
