1.3 The Digital Divide Conclusion

There is a clear digital divide between the LEDCs and the MEDCs. Many world leaders have said that bridging the digital divide is an essential step towards the abolition of world poverty. There is obviously some truth in this proposition but it should be treated with caution. For example, half of the world's population have never made a phone call and 70% of the poor live in remote, rural locations with little communications and a lack of accessibility. There have been many schemes and ideas thought of but we are at the start of a very long process which is as much a socio-economic and political one as a technical one.