01 July 2009

The Digital Divide

Getting Internet access in South Africa has been relatively effortless even compared to visits to Germany or the UK. Mobile data on the iPhone is a doddle here even with my pre-pay phone. But now I am wonderig how that will change as we leave this country. Will we use local SIMs, will we be able to get data access? Will there be wifi hotspots or will we need to visit dingy Internet cafes? I am trying to keep up with the blog, post to Flickr, upload the occasional short film clip, but I have no idea how successful that will be.
This article from Ars Technica does not bode well:
"Broadband represents the most extreme example in the gulf between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'," said TeleGeography Executive Director John Dinsdale. "Less than 2 percent of African households have broadband compared with 68 percent of North American homes."

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