United Nations Radio

A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development says the digital divide is expanding, with developing countries still lagging behind in using broadband connectivity.

Broadband connectivity being the amount of data that can be transferred in a given time period, can be used as a tool for economic development.

In its report UNCTAD shows the use of mobile phones in the past five years has jumped from two to 20 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in the least developed countries.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, it adds, there are now more than ten times as many mobile subscriptions as fixed lines.

But, as UNCTAD's Deputy Secretary-General noted during the launch of the report in Geneva on Thursday, that poor countries cannot keep up with the fast pace of technological development and its high costs.

"Africa is lagging the most. While most other developing regions boast of broadband penetration ten times higher than Africa's, to make things worse, there is a broadband price divide. It seems that the access to broadband in Africa is very expensive. The cost of using broadband tends to be the highest in low-income countries."

Mr. Draganov says that of the 20 countries with the world's most expensive broadband access fees, 14 are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

However, he points out that there are now a number of initiatives to include parts of Sub-Saharan Africa in the under sea fibre optic cables that can boost connectivity.

Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations
(duration: 1'25")