Global Information Infrastructure

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Sunday May 23, 2004 22:38 by Luke O'Neill luke.oneill6 at mail dot dcu dot ie

The Obstacles to Digital Inclusion

The human race has moved into the digital age. After centuries of hardship and toil now is presumably the time when the information revolution bears fruition. This so called information revolution refers to the rapid in increase in use of automated technology in modern global society, e.g. ATM machines, mobile phones, satellite technology, smart cards and the Internet. The ideology of the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) centres on the freedom of information for all. The ease of availability of information about other cultures, about government activities and about important news would, it was hoped, lead to greater understanding among cultures.

The Global Information Infrastructure:
The Obstacles to Digital Equality

Introduction: the Digital Rift

The human race has moved into the digital age. After centuries of hardship and toil now is presumably the time when the information revolution bears fruition. This so called information revolution refers to the rapid in increase in use of automated technology in modern global society, e.g. ATM machines, mobile phones, satellite technology, smart cards and the Internet. The ideology of the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) centres on the freedom of information for all. The ease of availability of information about other cultures, about government activities and about important news would, it was hoped, lead to greater understanding among cultures.


But unfortunately the theoretical possibilities of the digital age bear little or no resemblance to the current ‘global village’. This essay hopes to assess the problems and barriers related to the creation of an egalitarian GII. I hope to prove through my research that Western nations have used their share in the multi-billion Euro information economy to fix the rules of play to the detriment of poorer nations, in particular those in Africa, Asia and South America. Indeed, in many developing countries the expansion of the existing (often crude) communication system is not on the agenda. What government cares about the foundation of an internet service provider (ISP) when hundreds of thousands of their citizens haven’t eaten in days or weeks?

Nonetheless, the disparity of power in the digital world has hindered the attempts of many fledgling internet projects in the Third World. Many commentators argue that the implementation of a functional and ubiquitous information system in the developing world is a discussion to be held at a later date. This is because of the economic and social problems that are generally associated with less developed nations. This is a dangerous mistake, one identified by U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan:

"People lack many things: jobs, shelter, food, health care and drinkable water. Today, being cut off from basic telecommunications services is a hardship almost as acute as these other deprivations, and [might] indeed reduce the chances of finding remedies to them." (Kofi Annan)

This statement, taken from a speech given to the Telecom summit in Geneva in 1999, points to a desire for a level playing field in the information age. While nobody would be as foolhardy to say that information needs should take precedence over basic needs, it’s clear that the digital age has given the developed world a chance to use new technological developments to bridge the gap between the West and the rest. Foreign investment is helpful to economic growth. But investment is not forthcoming without a proper communications system.



Long before the advent of satellite and digital technology the future of the African continent was a topic for international debate. Many African nations emerged from colonisation with fresh hopes of democracy and economic growth only to meet civil war and famine. The much publicised famines in Ethiopia and Somalia brought the harsher realities of the developing world to the broader world public.

So, the development of the internet and the continuing improvement of existing information technology was a furher sting in the tail for many African nations. The last decade saw the emergence of a new divide between struggling third world economies and their more affluent Western rivals.

It is now an accepted fact in Africa that the internet changes ‘everything.’ [Yet] there are a number of stumbling blocks preventing the realisation of the many-hoped-for internet dreams and at times the Net experience is a very frustrating one as access speeds are notoriously slow.

It’s surprising to note that the price of internet subscription is exorbitant in many African nations despite the low earning of the people. It can cost as much as sixty American dollars a month to maintain a connection. This is far beyond the reach of average Africans. Owning a computer in itself is a luxury and only the well off can afford one.

Many studies have been conducted on the African web issue. One such study relates to Kofi Annan’s earlier quote. The findings indicated a need for a more reliable indigenous information source for a crucial sector of the African economy. Nearly a third of the farmers questioned relied on the radio as a source of information about new agricultural technologies and only 7% used the internet. The farmers are struggling to access helpful information about relevant local farming techniques because indigenous agricultural based websites are “thin on the ground.”

The Middle East is also a problem region. He assigns some of the blame to Middle Eastern governments. They have been reluctant to liberalise the use of the internet. Fearing its subversive potential, governments are trying to erect legal and technical barriers limiting free use…excessive effort is asserted by authorities to control contents and free online access.

As mentioned before many African nations emerged from the colonial experience in to extended periods of civil war. In most cases the telecommunications network in the war torn countries were destroyed. It is common knowledge that in war those who control the means of communication can control the conflict, for more read about the bombing of Al-Jazeera in Kabul. Add the high price of computer software, the dominance of English language content and the relative computer illiteracy of Africa to this basic telecommunications system and you are left with a recipe for an information deficit.

In the Middle East, internet users are finding it difficult to gain access to sites that host Arabic script. There have been some advances in Arab script software with versions of both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader now available, but the technology for the Web is far behind. Houissa notes that where such sites are available they receive a substantial number of hits or visitors. Much like Africa, the speed of access to the Internet is painfully slow:

Telephone bandwidth is low and congested even in countries with relatively modern telephone systems. This causes slow Internet connections and downloads, which is especially problematic when surfing the Web. In Turkey for instance, it can take half an hour to receive 10 e-mails from an out-of-the country mailbox.

Yet another barrier to a fair GII in the region is the prevalent policy of censorship by governments. Western culture is seen as a corrupting influence on young Arab minds. Respective Arab governments have applied a myriad of different techniques to stop the free use of what they see as a potentially salacious, poisonous medium. Sometimes existing media have criticised the Internet and in some cases have called for a blanket ban. In Saudi Arabia all internet access goes through a mother-computer or hub. If the site that the user is trying to gain access to is blacklisted then the hub will deny entry. Houissa believes that the development of a GII is not merely linked to the poor telecommunications network but to the:

Closing [of] the ‘digital divide’ of information between haves and have-nots in the region [which] will require more than just hooking up the country to the Internet; it will also depend on guaranteeing unimpeded access to information.

Manuel Castells is a hardened r commentator who really tackles the extent of this problem. He writes that information technology has become a crucial factor in the acquisition of wealth. The global economy’s current emphasis on digital technology is an obvious indicator of this fact. E-commerce has become a multi-million euro industry as has the advertising of goods and services on the web.

The internet provides enterprising Africans with a real opportunity to gain a foothold in a marketplace of millions. South African Mark Shuttleworth is the perfect example. He received widespread media attention when he bought himself a 13 million ticket to space after selling Internet business, Thawte Consulting for 400 million in 2000 at the peak of the Internet boom. The internet wizards of the mid-nineties were renowned for the way they carved out their fortune without even having a product to sell. Much like other media, the ability to attract advertisers can subsequently provide the owner with a substantial windfall. The potential possibilities aside, Castells delivers a resounding dose of context, outlining the mountain of difficulty facing those African nations and organisations that wish to succeed:

Not only is Africa, by far, the least computerised region it the world, but it does not have the minimum infrastructure required to make use of computers, thus making nonsense of many of the efforts to provide electronic equipment to countries and organisations. Indeed, before moving into electronics, Africa first needs a reliable electricity supply…Africa’s telecommunications are meagre, compared with current world standards. There are more telephone lines in Manhattan or in Tokyo than in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

It seems that there is a world of possibility for the African nations in terms of the digital age. But the agonising reality is that there are a number of almost insurmountable obstacles to the implementation of the GII in this region. It’s also noteworthy that the Middle East faces some problems too, but none on the scale of their African counterparts. Arabic countries are in the midst of debate about the pluses and minuses of censorship. Indeed, censorship is an expensive business and is bound to get more difficult as internet subscription rates increase so it is likely that time will ease this restriction. But for Africa, a continent already struggling to redefine its place in the world economy, the digital age has done little but widen the gap. But why is it so difficult for Africa to take its rightful place in the ever-expanding digital empire?

There are a number of external forces that have prevented the African continent from developing its telecommunications systems at a faster rate. After outlining the internal forces that have hindered Africa’s absorption into the GII this essay will now focus on some of the external forces that are doing likewise


In August of 2003 the inaugural World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) met in Vilnius. Nearly seventy delegates agreed after the forum that the bridging of the digital divide was a must if world poverty is to decline (Wired News, 2004). Furthermore, they outlined that cooperation between states and the private sector would be a vital element of this new attempt to lessen the gap. While WITFOR put forward genuinely commendable goals for the future of GII, the current reality points to a lasting divide. Linda Main, in a recent article about GII comments, there is a real risk that we are moving towards a two-tier technology society that perpetuates the old distinctions between North and South.

If African nations are willing to produce their own technological aids to improve their information systems then they will be taking a crucial step towards the establishment of an indigenous, reliable network. It’s likely that products developed in Africa would be cheaper too because the producers would be aware of the financial restraints on their potential buyers. Often, developing countries discard or donate what they believe to be obsolete computers. These computers are sometimes used by Africans. A combination of these hand-me-down machines (available for less than 200 US dollars) and the possibility of local technological development could benefit the Africans:

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been the main instigator in recent changes in global communications policy. Rather than help developing countries the WTO has hindered their development through its continued private-sector based policies. The WTO promotes the ideal of free trade which immediately puts developing countries at a disadvantage. A fundamental principle of the GII is information, the free flow information between peoples, and the WTO does not make any efforts to promote this idea. The decline in power of UNESCO is a contributing factor in the current lack of emphasis that has been placed on free information in the digital age.

The WTO has encouraged the privatisation of the telecommunications system. In most countries’ experience of privatisation it is generally the state telecommunications company that is first. While privatisation is not always a success in developed countries e.g. British Rail it is an even more complicated process in the developing world. In Africa, the context into which privatisation is introduced is vastly different then that of the developed world. Any potential buyer of a state-owned telecommunications company in Africa faces a bill for repairs of millions. Furthermore, many countries in Africa are still in the embryonic stages of independence and governance. Many are sceptical of privatisation having only gained control of the state institutions and organisations in recent decades and some are fearful that companies from their past colonisers might try return to the market. Yet developing countries are fearful that if they remain out of the WTO they will lose out on lucrative foreign investment:

Privatisation has been uneven and less than global in its embrace…many countries see privatisation and participation in the WTO as a key part of their efforts to attract foreign investment [but] 43 countries still have less than one telephone line per 100 people.

Indeed, in Africa when privatisation has happened it’s looked more like a mere switch of ownership between bodies. Monopolies still exist. This is a massive problem that is detrimental to the improvement of the telecommunications system in any given country. In South Africa, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire the new owners were obliged by policy to improve the existing system. Two and a half million extra phone lines were to be installed in South Africa between 1997 and 2002. Unfortunately, once these companies reach their set goals they usually drop their commitment to improving the infrastructure. A key catalyst for the consistent development of telecommunications in these countries is competition. When a monopoly exists there is no impetus for an improved infrastructure or for an improved service.

In general, telecommunications systems in developing countries have expanded two to three times as fast in countries where competition has been introduced in comparison to those where it has not.

While increased competition is a plus, it is mostly the major corporations that are pushing forward the construction of a GII. This is a precarious scenario for the developing world. It’s undeniable that the global economy has been energised by the creation of the Internet. But business is not the most important facet of the Internet; it is information. So, the development of GII by companies like AT&T, Microsoft, Globo Cabo and NTL will only serve to couch the future of the Internet in terms of commerce. The danger is that GII will only touch on locations with a viable economic base. In fact, as BT and AT&T acknowledge, the real goal is not to build a GII at all, but to wire about 40-60,000 buildings worldwide that house the affluent corporate and government users with sophisticated and costly communication needs.

It seems that an egalitarian GII is far from reach. Indeed, the current system is based on ‘wired cities’ that have a symbiotic relationship with the major internet providers. This is clearly obvious on the African continent. Internet access is mainly based in the capital city – usually the wealthiest hub in any developing country. Unintentionally at times, the WTO and the major corporate players have acted to make it difficult for the developing world to join the information revolution. The increased emphasis on privatisation gives major corporate powers the ability to tie up the global Internet market. Winseck believes that the WTO needs to reconcile the globalisation of trade with the globalisation of human rights, i.e. the right to information.


It’s would be unwise to provide a grand scheme for the implementation of a truly inclusive GII. There are so many individual problems within the new digital age that sometimes it’s impossible not to get lost. Sadly, it seems that that while the information age has gifted some of the world’s population with ceaseless opportunities it has at the same time, for a larger more underprivileged part of the world, dealt a blow to their future ability to trade, to learn and to grow.


In the Middle East, censorship is impeding the access to free information. A further stumbling block is the scarcity of Arabic script websites coupled with the sluggishness of connection speeds. The scenario in the Middle East is less daunting than that of the African continent yet the path to a better system is a difficult one. The censorship of Western culture has been a practice in this region for generations and it’s generally linked to the grander religious themes of chastity and principle. Hopefully in time more nations will follow the wise lead of Jordan and realise that strict censorship is too expensive and difficult to monitor. With the development of Arabic script software like Word and Adobe it should not be too long before a web version emerges too. Future cooperation between the public and private sector should push up the bandwidth speed in Middle Eastern countries in the coming years.

In the midst of all the new technology, the new possibility and the new jargon it is the old problems that still characterise Africa’s struggle. The transplantation of the digital age on top of the traditional problems associated with the region has further added to Africa’s woes. Instability in the form of war and genocide, recurring famine, crippling poverty, the lack of education, widespread debt, the AIDS epidemic, poor governance and apathy from the West continue to ensnare Africa in a state of dormant growth. Agriculture is still the main focus of the economy for most African countries. Generally, e-commerce focuses on the industrial and service sectors which put Africa at a loss time after time.

While the public/private partnership can at times be troublesome it seems to be the best avenue of progress for Internet absorption. This route tends to increase bandwidth. The liberalisation of telecommunications policy will decrease access costs. It is risky to point towards an example of ‘success’ when talking about the African Internet experience. Tunisia can be considered as a measured success. It is a good idea for a government-run telecommunications company to provide state institutions (hospitals, universities, etc.) with internet facilities while leaving the development of public internet access to a private developer. The Tunisian model is probably worth emulating in other African countries, as such a pattern of providing Internet access reaches out to a majority of people and institutions in key public sector areas.

As Africa struggles the GII will march on. The developed world has at its disposal a tool that will define the 21st century. The internet will continue to contribute to the ongoing process of globalisation, to the removal of barriers to communication and to the completion of an interconnected world – but only for the privileged. For many Africans, the Internet is not an important issue because they are preoccupied with the development of basic needs such as sanitisation and disease prevention. At the current rate one could suggest that if Africa doesn’t become integrated into the digital network in twenty years time their economic situation will be far worse than today’s. The main political and economic actors in the West have failed to realise that the Internet could be used in Africa to great effect. A concerted effort by bodies like the WTO and the UN could provide the continent with a future framework for growth. Maybe then African nations could shift the economic emphasis away from agriculture and onto modern sectors such as industry and manufacturing.



• MacFarquhar, N. 1996. With mixed feelings, Iran tiptoes to the Internet [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 12 May 2004]
• Wired News. 2003. Digital Rift Needs Global Help [Online]. Available form: http://www.wired.com/news/ifostructure/0,1377,60252,00.html [Accessed 7 May 2004]
• African Internet Connectivity. 2002. African Internet Status [Online]. Available from: < http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afstat.htm>
• Talibanism in Technology: Seven reasons why women in technology remain invisible [Online]. Available from: http://www.dqindia.com/content/special/103022602.asp