ID :
31072
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 15:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/31072
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIA AMONG TOP FIVE WITH INTERNET ACCESS IN ASIA PACIFIC
BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are the most connected countries in the Asia Pacific region, with 55 per cent to 80 per cent of their populations having access to the Internet by 2007.
In contrast, the bottom five -- Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Tajikistan,
Bangladesh
and Cambodia -- have less than one per cent of their populationd using the
Internet while the average for region is 20 per cent.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(Unescap) said that despite significant progress that Asia and the Pacific had
made in utilising information communication technology (ICT), a significant
disparity still remained in access to the Internet between high-income and
low-income countries.
It said the wide gap appeared despite its study which showed that both
phone
and Internet use had increased over the last five years since the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) was first held in 2003.
"How to overcome this 'digital divide' is the focus of a meeting being held
in Bangkok with participants compromising ICT experts from governments, the
academia, UN and other international agencies and the private sector, including
from Microsoft," Unescap said in a statement.
The agency said the number of mobile phone subscribers increased by nearly
70 times in South Asia between 2000 and 2007 and by over 40 times in Central
Asia while in Southeast Asia, which has a relatively more developed market, the
number of subscribers still grew by about 10 times.
"Yet, the growth is the fastest in the poorest countries in the region. The
least developed countries in the region as a group had seen their mobile phone
users increase by close to 80 times," it said.
The expert group meeting, WSIS+5 and Emerging Issues in Asia and the
Pacific, is intended as a platform to discuss technical aspects of ICT
development and solicit expert views on key issues -- such as problems with
infrastructure -- which need to be addressed at the regional level.
Among issues being discussed are the current status of ICT and the
implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action in the Asia-Pacific region and key
emerging issues that are standing in the way ICT connectivity in developing
nations.
Also in the agenda is the integration of ICT in effective disaster risk
reduction programmes, for example, by providing technical solutions such as
region-wide early warning systems, and better communications systems to assist
with disaster recovery.
In contrast, the bottom five -- Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Tajikistan,
Bangladesh
and Cambodia -- have less than one per cent of their populationd using the
Internet while the average for region is 20 per cent.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(Unescap) said that despite significant progress that Asia and the Pacific had
made in utilising information communication technology (ICT), a significant
disparity still remained in access to the Internet between high-income and
low-income countries.
It said the wide gap appeared despite its study which showed that both
phone
and Internet use had increased over the last five years since the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) was first held in 2003.
"How to overcome this 'digital divide' is the focus of a meeting being held
in Bangkok with participants compromising ICT experts from governments, the
academia, UN and other international agencies and the private sector, including
from Microsoft," Unescap said in a statement.
The agency said the number of mobile phone subscribers increased by nearly
70 times in South Asia between 2000 and 2007 and by over 40 times in Central
Asia while in Southeast Asia, which has a relatively more developed market, the
number of subscribers still grew by about 10 times.
"Yet, the growth is the fastest in the poorest countries in the region. The
least developed countries in the region as a group had seen their mobile phone
users increase by close to 80 times," it said.
The expert group meeting, WSIS+5 and Emerging Issues in Asia and the
Pacific, is intended as a platform to discuss technical aspects of ICT
development and solicit expert views on key issues -- such as problems with
infrastructure -- which need to be addressed at the regional level.
Among issues being discussed are the current status of ICT and the
implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action in the Asia-Pacific region and key
emerging issues that are standing in the way ICT connectivity in developing
nations.
Also in the agenda is the integration of ICT in effective disaster risk
reduction programmes, for example, by providing technical solutions such as
region-wide early warning systems, and better communications systems to assist
with disaster recovery.
