eBook

Telecommunications and information services for the poor : toward a strategy for universal access

Navas-Sabater, Juan, Juntunen, Niina, Dymond, Andrew

2002,2001

Overview

Access to information, and communications technologies has become crucial to a sustainable agenda of economic development, and poverty reduction, and yet access remains concentrated in a few regions and population groups, with the contours of this new \" digital divide \" closely following, and supplementing existing income, and economic divides. However, technological innovations, economic pressures, and regulatory reforms, are making access to information, and communications technologies more affordable, and, providing opportunities to close the digital divide. This discussion paper outlines a number of policy, and regulatory measures, including incentives to attract investors to high cost, or challenging areas, that can be used under different scenarios, to close the digital divide. While Bank Group experience shows an increasing number of projects with specific universal access components, this paper proposes alternatives for Bank Group support for universal access policies, through an appropriate mix of technical assistance, and investments.

• Publisher: World Bank,World Bank Publications,The World Bank,Washington, DC: World Bank
• Subject: ACCESS TO INFORMATION / ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE / ALTERNATIVE POLICIES / BROADCASTING / COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS / COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES / CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK / DECISION-MAKING / DIGITAL DIVIDE / ECONOMIC ACTIVITY / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / ECONOMIC GROWTH / ECONOMIC IMPACT / EMPLOYMENT / HEALTH CARE / HEALTH CARE FINANCING / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT / ICT / INCOME / INCOME DISTRIBUTION / INCOME LEVELS / INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE / INFORMATION SERVICES / INFORMATION STORAGE / INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY / Informationstechnik / INNOVATIONS / INTERNET ACCESS / INTERNET HOSTS / KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPMENT / LIVING CONDITIONS / LOW INCOME / LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES / MARKET LIBERALIZATION / MARKET PRICES / MCT / MEDIA / MULTIPURPOSE COMMUNITY TELECENTER / NATIONAL INCOME / OIL / POLICY INSTRUMENTS / POSTAL SECTOR / PRIVATE SECTOR / PRODUCTIVITY / RADIO / RURAL COMMUNITIES / RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS / RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT / SAFETY NETS / Social aspects / SOCIAL SERVICES / Soziales Problem / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT / TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE / TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS / TELECOM SECTOR / Telecommunication / Telecommunication policy / TELECOMMUNICATIONS / TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY / TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE / TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS / TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICIES / TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR / TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES / TELEDENSITY / Telekommunikationsnetz / Telekommunikationspolitik / TELEPHONE DENSITY / TELEPHONE LINES / TELEPHONE PENETRATION / TELEPHONE SERVICE / TELEPHONES / TELEPHONY / UNIVERSAL ACCESS / UNIVERSAL ACCESS COSTS / UNIVERSAL SERVICE / URBAN AREAS
• ISBN: 9780821351215, 0821351214