The Impact of the Internet in Six Latin American Countries

Access to the Internet has grown exponentially in Latin America over the past decade. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that in 2009 there were 144.5 million Internet users in South America, 6.4 million in Central America, and 8.2 million in the Caribbean, or a total 159.2 million users in all of Latin America.1 At that time, ITU reported an estimated 31 million Internet users in Mexico, which would bring the overall number of users in Latin America to 190.2 million people. More recent estimates published by Internet World Stats place Internet access currently at an estimated 204.6 million out of a total population of 592.5 million in the region (this figure includes Mexico).2 According to those figures, 34.5 per cent of the Latin American population now enjoys Internet access. In recent years, universal access policies contributed to the vast increase in digital literacy and Internet use in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Whereas the latter was the first country in the region to adopt a policy of universal access, the most expansive and successful digital inclusion programs in the region have taken hold in Brazil and Chile. These two countries have allocated considerable resources to the promotion of digital literacy and Internet access among low income and poor populations; in both cases, civil society groups significantly assisted in the promotion of inclusion at the grassroots level. Digital literacy and Internet access have come to represent, particularly in the area of education, a welcome complementary resource for populations chronically underserved in nations with a long-standing record of inadequate public social services. Digital inclusion is vastly expanding throughout the region, thanks to stabilizing economies, increasingly affordable technology, and the rapid growth in the supply of cellular mobile telephony. A recent study by the global advertising agency Razorfish revealed significant shifts in the demographics of digital inclusion in the major economies of South America, where Web access is rapidly increasing amid the lower middle class and the working poor.3 Several researchers have suggested that Internet access will bring about greater civic participation and engagement, although skeptics remain unsure this could happen in Latin America. Yet, there have been some recent instances of political mobilization facilitated through the use of the Web and social media applications, starting in Chile when “smart mobs” nationwide demonstrated against former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet when she failed to enact education reforms in May 2006. The Internet has also been used by marginalized groups and by guerrillas groups to highlight their stories. In sum, Internet access in Latin is no longer a medium restricted to the elite. It is rather a public sphere upon which civil society has staked its claim. Some of the examples noted in this study point toward a developing trend whereby civil society, through online grassroots movements, is able to effectively pressure public officials, instill transparency and demand accountability in government. Access to the Internet has also made it possible for voices on the margins to participate in the conversation in a way that was never previously feasible. 1 International Telecommunications Union [ITU], “Information Technology Public & Report,” accessed May 15, 2011, http://www.itu.int/. 2 Internet World Stats, “Internet Usage Statistics for the Americas,” accessed March 24, 2011, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats2.htm 3 J. Crump, “The finch and the fox,” London, UK (2010), http://www.slideshare.net/razorfishmarketing/the-finch-and-the-fox

Determinants of Mobile Broadband Affordability: A Cross-National Comparison

There is little understanding of what determines mobile broadband affordability in different countries. We address this problem by exploring to what extent policy, regulation, government, and governance affect mobile broadband affordability. Our results show that when controlling for wealth, education and other factors, competition to provide mobile services, financial investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs), and income inequality are all important variables in determining mobile broadband affordability. Our findings related to financial investment suggest that service providers and other stakeholders are still recouping the cost of deploying the infrastructure necessary to provide mobile services, and have not yet achieved the economy of scale required for the price of mobile broadband to begin to fall. Although policy initiatives and income inequality are important determinants of mobile broadband affordability, we find no evidence that political structure and processes (e.g., the level of democracy), telecommunications regulation, or public-sector governance matter

CSR UUMWiFi: A University’s Effort in Bridging Digital Divide among Rural Community

As a response to the government effort to bridge digital divide and democratising access to the Internet, particularly in rural area, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) has taken a proactive step to provide free wireless internet connection for Sintok-Changlun community known as CSR UUMWiFi. It is the first local public university in Malaysia that provides such service as part of its corporate social responsibility. In this paper, an investigation towards CSR UUMWiFi was conducted with the aim to ascertain the level of awareness, satisfactions, and its importance to the community. To achieve that, a questionnaire survey (via printed and online) were conducted and distributed within the Sintok-Changlon areas. A total of 424 usable responses were collected through simple random sampling. Data from the questionnaire were analysed using several statistical analysis’s such descriptive analysis, correlation test, and chi-square test. Findings from the study reveal that majority of the users are Changlun’s local residents, particularly the young and well educated group. The service is rank highly in terms of its importance. Nevertheless, the level of satisfaction on the CSR UUMWiFi is still at a moderate level. Interestingly, the gender and level of education have significant relationship with internet browsing activity where female and those with bachelor degree and SPM have higher propensity to use the service. Some improvements and future works were proposed to ensure that the service is more reliable and can help to transform the socio-economic of the community

CSR UUMWiFi: A University's effort in bridging digital divide among rural community

As a response to the government effort to bridge digital divide and democratising access to the Internet, particularly in rural area, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) has taken a proactive step to provide free wireless internet connection for Sintok-Changlun community known as CSR UUMWiFi. It is the first local public university in Malaysia that provides such service as part of its corporate social responsibility.In this paper, an investigation towards CSR UUMWiFi was conducted with the aim to ascertain the level of awareness, satisfactions, and its importance to the community.To achieve that, a questionnaire survey (via printed and online) were conducted and distributed within the Sintok-Changlon areas.A total of 424 usable responses were collected through simple random sampling.Data from the questionnaire were analysed using several statistical analysis's such descriptive analysis, correlation test, and chi-square test.Findings from the study reveal that majority of the users are Changlun's local residents, particularly the young and well educated group.The service is rank highly in terms of its importance.Nevertheless, the level of satisfaction on the CSR UUMWiFi is still at a moderate level.Interestingly, the gender and level of education have significant relationship with internet browsing activity where female and those with bachelor degree and SPM have higher propensity to use the service.Some improvements and future works were proposed to ensure that the service is more reliable and can help to transform the socio-economic of the community

Propuesta de estrategia desde la innovación y la gestión tecnológica para reducir la brecha de penetración de internet en Colombia

En la actualidad, Colombia alcanza niveles cercanos al 5% de penetración de Internet (número de suscriptores de Internet por cada 100 habitantes), mientras que, según la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones, en el contexto de las economías desarrolladas se pueden observar niveles superiores al 40%, lo cual evidencia la amplia brecha que el país debe superar. Esta situación plantea grandes retos al país de cara a la formulación, desarrollo y mejoramiento de estrategias en este sentido. A través de una revisión del fenómeno de Internet, se identifican nueve factores clave que influyen en el mismo, favoreciendo el aumento de las tasas de penetración de esta tecnología en la sociedad. Estos factores son contextualizados en el caso colombiano, determinando cinco de ellos como áreas críticas de éxito para finalmente formular un conjunto de estrategias orientadas a fortalecerlos con acciones enmarcadas en la innovación y la gestión tecnológica. Se concluye finalmente que, aunque existe un interesante programa de promoción de las TIC, los niveles de penetración de Internet en Colombia continúan siendo bajos. Adicionalmente, se avanza muy lentamente en los índices de competitividad mundial y no se evidencia una dinámica innovadora en el entorno de los servicios de telecomunicaciones, contenido y aplicaciones. La brecha entre el contenido local y el internacional es muy amplia y los grupos de investigación en TIC aún no impactan de manera positiva en el desarrollo del fenómeno de penetración de Internet. / Abstract. Currently, Colombia’s Internet penetration rates are near 5% (measured in subscribers per 100 inhabitants). In the meantime, according to data provided by International Telecommunications Union, developed economies’ rates are above 40%. This situation is the evidence of the big gap Colombia has to overcome and the great challenges it will face towards the formulation, development and enhancement of strategies aiming to achieve this goal. Through a revision of the Internet penetration phenomenon, nine key factors that drive the thriving of penetration rates this technology has in society are identified. These factors are then adapted to the Colombian case and five of them are found as critical success areas. This allows for the formulation of a set of strategies aimed strengthening the critical factors with actions supported by innovation and technology management practices and tools. It is concluded that, despite there is an interesting ICT promotion program in Colombia, internet penetration rates are still far below desired level. Furthermore, Colombia is climbing in a very slow pace on International competitive indexes and there is no evidence of an innovative dynamic around telecommunication services, content and applications. The international content – local content ratio is too high and there is no impact in the development of Internet penetration phenomenon by the ICT R and D groups.Maestrí