Editorial
55th position in survey of internet impact
High cost, poor infrastructure behind low ranking
Bangladesh has ranked among the last 10 countries in a survey conducted by the World Wide Web Foundation on the impact of the internet on both developed and developing countries of the world. The last among countries in the Asia Pacific region, Bangladesh is followed only by Namibia, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Yemen.
The survey has looked at web readiness -- that is, infrastructure and policy and how well these facilitate connectivity -- and web use, or the percentage of people who use the internet. Finally, it has attempted to determine impact of the web, through social, economic and political indicators such as social networks and business internet use. Poor infrastructure and high cost of internet access have been identified as some of the barriers to ICT use and impact in low-ranking countries such as Bangladesh -- where 3.5% of the population used the internet in 2011, according to a World Bank report published this year.
While the number has grown steadily over the years, we expected greater growth and, indeed, greater impact on the people, especially considering the current government's repeated promises of a "Digital Bangladesh". True, internet use is common among the urban, educated classes and service is now available even in rural areas, but access remains limited. The digital divide functions not only between the urban and rural, rich and the poor, but also between the sexes, with poor, rural women having the least access of all. Economic factors of cost, physical and geographical factors of location and distribution, as well as lack of basic computer education at the school level all contribute to the restricted access to and use of the internet by rural and low-income groups.
In order for the worldwide web to have a greater and more positive impact on our citizens, we hope the government will do everything necessary to reduce cost, increase access and develop literacy to enable people to function efficiently using the internet.
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