Research Report Digital Divide free essay sample

An Analysis of Digitalization of Bangladesh A M SHAHRIAR Contents Introduction to Digital Divide Background of Bangladesh ICT in Bangladesh Factors contributing to the digital divide in Bangladesh The future of ICT in Bangladesh Conclusion Acronyms, Appendices List of References Pages 1 1 1-2 2-4 4-6 6-7 8-10 11-12 This Research Report Has Been Created For Mr. Matthew Mansour, ISYS100 (It Society), Macquarie City Campus Introduction to Digital Divide The term ‘Digital Divide’ when initially coined mainly referred to the differences between various nations and communities and their access to computer and the internet. Over the years the term has widened in terms of its meaning and now its meaning could be interpreted as the differences in the distribution of digital technologies like television, radio, and mobile telephony throughout the world (Unwin and De Bastion, 2009). The focus of this paper is on Bangladesh and we will look into the numerous factors that has lead to the digital divide. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Report Digital Divide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We will also emphasize how the digital divide has impacted the various aspects of the country including the socio-economic climate. Background Bangladesh emerged on the world map on 16th December 1971 after the liberation war against Pakistan. It is a Democratic Republic. Bangladesh is situated on the southern parts of Asia bordered by India in north and west, Myanmar in the east and the Bay of Bengal in the south. The total area of Bangladesh is 143,998 sq km (Central Intelligence Agency, July 2012), 94th largest in the world populated by 161,083,804 people (C I A, July 2012) 8th most populated in the world with population density at 1118. 65 persons/sq km. Information and Communication Technologies in Bangladesh The Internet was introduced comparatively very late in Bangladesh at 1966 and even by 2004 it was nowhere in the global broadband map (Dwivedi, Khan and Papazafeiropoulou, 2006). During these times the poverty in Bangladesh was around 40% (World Bank, 2005) and hence it is evident that the access to internet or computer usage was very 1 expensive and unaffordable for the majority of the population. The biggest reason of poverty in Bangladesh over the past many decades has been the highly dense population which in turn has affected the nation’s socio-economic climate. Because of this the access to information technologies such as computer usage and internet availability has been very difficult. Why is there a gap? Factors contributing to the digital divide in Bangladesh Economic The per capita income of Bangladesh was $848 during the 2011-2012 fiscal years, which is still below the middle-income bracket (The Daily Star, June 2012). In terms of Comparison, we look into the per capita income of Australia which is $45,300 we realise that how low the income level in Bangladesh really is. The per capita income growth of Bangladesh has been really slow compared to other developing Asian Nations (Refer to Appendix-A). As of 2010the poverty head count ratio of Bangladesh was still 31. 5%, which although has decreased from the past years is not decreasing at the rate it should (Refer to Appendix-B, source: World Bank). This has been one of the most significant factors that has contributed to the digital divide that exists between Bangladesh and the many other nations. Socio-Cultural One of the biggest barriers to accessing the internet is the Language. There are only a handful websites that are in Bengali, the language in Bangladesh by more than 90% of the people. In a country with only 18% English speaking population (Euro monitor international report 2009) it is extremely difficult for the vast population to use the various digital technologies like the computer or the internet because of the lack of knowledge of the language which these technologies use. 2 Another aspect important to highlight is the inability of women to readily access the technologies like the computer or the internet. This is mainly because of the male dominant society that unfortunately still prevails in Bangladesh. The Adult literacy rate of males in Bangladesh is 57. 2% against 45. 8% for females (BBS, 2004). Majority of the household in Bangladesh have income dependency on male and hence the life of innumerable women mostly in rural regions is confined to the boundaries of their homes. The male society has a greater access to the different technologies in workplaces and other places outside home whereas women are barred from this access due the social conditions. Another aspect contributing to the digital divide is the religious orientation. Although this is a sensitive and controversial topic it is vital in determining the lifestyle that prevails in the country. Bangladesh is secular nation and the population is mostly dominated by Muslims which make up 89. 52% (BBS, 2004) of the entire population and Hindus are about 9. 58% (BBS, 2004). The remaining 0. 9% is mostly Buddhists and Christians. There is a low rate of literacy of the Muslims in most regions (Bangladesh Data Sheet, BBS, 2004) compared to the other religions. This is mainly because of the orthodoxy that prevails in the Households all across Bangladesh. There are too many barriers for young children from their families to access technologies such as the internet because of these reasons. Political Unfortunately, Bangladesh has one of the most unstable political climates in Asia and this has hampered the growth of the country in several ways. From the perspective of Information and communication technologies if and when there is a contribution from the Government to this sector, it never seems to reach the public properly because of the corruption that prevails in the various administrative levels of the governmental organisations. Also the law and order is in disarray preventing many people to even acquire technological devices such as computers in the fear that it will be stolen or that their household would be riskier with some expensive technological gadget. Educational With a literacy rate of only 56% (UNICEF, 2010) it has been very difficult to achieve penetration of IT usage in the country. Only 1. 4% of the population aged 15 years or older have used the internet (Bangladesh Literacy Survey, BBS 2011). The literacy rate is also affected by the place of residence. For example, the literacy rate in urban areas is 65. 83% compared to 51. 81% in the rural region (Bangladesh Literacy Survey, BBS 2011). In Addition to the Socio-Cultural, Political, Economic and Educational factors there are also many other reasons subsidizing to the digital divide in Bangladesh. The Gap is narrowing The Future The internet usage is so rapidly growing that it can be said it is viral. It took the Internet three years to reach 50 million users in the world while 4 t took the television 38 long years to reach the same number of users. We can say the same for Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Government has taken initiatives to ensure access to information and communication technologies for populations across all regions of the country. The government has issued a new policy in 2009 (WTIM, 2011) where it promises to be a ICT driven nation and grab a chunk of the multibillion dollar software export business facilitat ing ecommerce and e-governance helping in the educational, administrative and other sectors. The Government created Bangladesh telecommunications Regulatory Commission in 2002. BTRC has strong regulatory independence and now full authority to grant licenses to all providers of telephony, data, and network and content services. The Bangladesh Telephone Company Ltd. (BTCL) owned by the government has set up digital telephone exchanges and Internet Service Providers in each district town of the country. The government of Bangladesh abolished import tax and VAT on computer hardware, software and accessories. This brought down the cost of computers significantly at the retail outlets. Now even the low income households in the country can afford to have PCs. Bangladesh assemble Laptop Computer brand named â€Å"Dowel†. It will be distributed the educational institute and government officers by low cost to promote ICT in education government offices. Recently, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh announced that Bangladesh would be transformed into ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by the year 2021. By this time all forms of governmental, organizational, dministrative and other fields will be using the latest digital technology as modes of communication The one factor that has contributed vitally to the rapid growth of the internet usage in Bangladesh is the use of Mobile Phones. During the 5 period of 5 years between 2005 and 2010 the numbers of mobile phone subscribers have increased rapidly. The growth has been over 400% in these five years. Compared to the 11. 29% in 2005, the percen tage of mobile phone users have increased to 63. 4% in 2010 (Refer to appendix-c). This is vital for the internet usage in Bangladesh because for millions of people this will be the first point of access to the internet. The mobile service providers are providing greater internet access as time progresses. TeleTalk, A mobile service provided by the government owned BTCL has introduced third generation network connectivity to its users on 14th October 2012, for the first time in the country and the other leading service providers are soon to follow. As of January 2013, Bangladesh has shown impressive Internet penetration compared to other countries in Asia (Refer to appendix-d). It is ahead of all the sub-continental nations including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Conclusion It is evident with all the facts and figures that Bangladesh is a nation that is still suffering from Digital divide compared to the many other nations in this world. But, on the other hand it is also proven that Bangladesh is on a path to a brighter future with greater access of Information and Communication technologies for the country’s people. There are so many obstacles that need to be overcome in order to reach a Bangladesh that is digitally connected and has world class IT facilities. The poverty, immense population, Political Instability, cultural differences and several other factors that is restricting the growth of Bangladesh. The key here is to focus on eliminating these complications and progressing towards building a nation which is modern and can provide access and usability of Information and communication technologies to all its citizens. The country needs to emphasize on productivity of its resources like the huge labour that is available. Attend to and improve efficiency of sectors like 6 education, training so there is an increased level of literacy that will help the nation to grow economically and reduce difficulties like poverty, unemployment and many others. Bangladesh needs to be a Nation that is in sync with the rest of the world in terms of technological development. The nation needs to bridge the gap that fills the digital divide between it and the rest of the world. 7 Acronyms ICT BBS UNICEF WTIM CIA BTCL BTRC Information and Communication Technologies Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund World Telecommunication/ICT indicators Meeting Central Intelligence Agency Bangladesh Telephone Company Ltd Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission 8 Appendices Appendix-a Appendix-b 9 Appendix-c Appendix-d 10 List of References Journals ? Unwin, T; Bastion, G de; 2009,†Digital Divide†, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK; Deutsche Gesellschaft fu? r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Eschborn, Germany ? Dwivedi, Y; Khan, N; and Papazafeiropoulou, A; 2006 Consumer Adoption and Usage of Broadband in Bangladesh, AMCIS 2006 Proceedings. Paper 426 ? Development Research Network (D. Net), Bangladesh (2008). â€Å"Public access to information ICTs: Bangladesh. Public Access Landscape Study final report†, presented to University of Washington Centre for Information Society (CIS), Seattle. ? Anwarul Islam, Anisur Rahman, (2006) Growth and development of information and communication technologies in Bangladesh, Electronic Library, The, Vol. 24 ? Baten, M; Kamil, A; August 2010 â€Å"Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce†, vol. 15, no. 2, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia ? HOSSAIN,M; SHINKAI,N; June 2011 ‘ Productivity and Performance of IT Sector in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Firm Level Data† ,Bangladesh Development Studies Vol. XXXIV ? June 2011â€Å"Report on the Bangladesh Literacy Survey 2010† Industry and Labour wing, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning Newspaper Articles and Online News Resources ? BBC News, â€Å"Bangladesh Profile† http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-south-asia-12650940 11 ? The Daily Star â€Å"Bangladeshs per capita income rises to $848† http://www. thedailystar. net/newDesign/newsdetails. php? nid=236919 ? The Daily Star â€Å"Internet trends in Bangladesh† http://www. thedailystar. net/newDesign/newsdetails. php? nid=241836 ? ? BBC News, â€Å"Bangladesh suffers internet disruption after cut cable† http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/technology-18366007 The Star, †Internet via bicycle in Bangladesh† http://www. thestar. com/news/world/2012/11/10/the_internet_via_ bicycle_in_bangladesh. html ? ? Al Jazeera English â€Å"Illiterate force behind Bangladeshs digitisation† http://www. outube. com/watch? v=y_V0FMitSp4 BanglaNews24, â€Å"Digital Bangladesh† http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=gMdi38HzELw Government Organizational websites ? ? ? ? https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/bg. html http://data. worldbank. org/country/bangladesh http://www. unicef. org/infobycountry/bangladesh_ban gladesh_statis tics. html http://www. digitalbangladesh. gov. bd/ Other Web Sources http://wearesocial. sg/blog/2013/01/social-digital-mobile-china-jan2013/we-are-social-internet-penetration-in-asia-2/ 12