Beyond Digital Divides in Asia, Oceania, Middle East & Africa, talk for Partnership for Progress on Digital Divide 2015 conference, ASU Scotsdale, AZ, 21-22 Oct 2015

1. Beyond Digital Divides in
Asia, Oceania, Middle East & Africa
Gerard Goggin (@ggoggin)
Dept of Media & Communications,
University of Sydney
Creating Connections, Building Bridges: Advancing the Digital Divide
Research, Policy, and Practice Agenda
2015 Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide 2015 Conference
Arizonia State University Sky Song, Scotsdale AZ, 21-22 Oct 2015

2. cautionary remarks (encore)
• four regions in this brief presentation have been arbitrarily grouped
together – as much, or more so, than the other regions we are discussing
today
• each regions contains many diverse countries; & most countries contain
much diversity in turn
• it is arguable that many countries in each of these regions (if not the
regions themselves) have been the subject of proportionally less research
on digital inequality than elsewhere (e.g. North America, Europe)
• the often precarious conditions of knowledge production & research in
many countries in these 4 regions means that data, initiatives, and
research is lacking; and it is often carried out by researchers who do not
live & work in the region/country itself
• a significant issue for regions whose communication & technology
networks & infrastructure have emerged in relations of imperialism and
colonialism (18th-20th centuries) & now contemporary capitalism (20th-21st
centuries)

3. ‘diversity of paths’ in digital exclusion
(Mandela)
• As I outlined at the 2014 PPDD conference in Seattle,
while digital divide can be a useful indicative term to
affiliate researchers in this area, it is important to be
sensitive to the particular concepts & theories for
digital inequality in particular countries & cultures;
• So: recognising the ‘diversity of paths’ & particular
frameworks/concepts countries use to tackle digital
inequality
• In 2015, I suggest this entails thinking about the
emerging dimensions of digital exclusion/inclusion

4. very broad update on 4 regions
most recent, reliable macro-level data is ITU
data on 2014 & end-2015 estimates for key ICT
indicators (projections only for 2015), released
in May 2015
I’ve excerpted some of this to sketch aggregrate
figures for these regions (Oceania is
incorporated into Asia-Pacific)
(see ITU definitions of regions)

5. Source: ICT Facts & Figures: The World in 2015 (Geneva: ITU)

6. fixed telephone subscriptions
estimate estimate
millions
2015* 2014 2005 2014 2015*
Fixed-
telephone
subscriptions
Africa 11 11 1.5 1.2 1.2
Arab States 28 30 9.4 8.1 7.3
Asia & Pacific 461 480 15.1 11.9 11.3
CIS 62 67 23.0 23.9 23.1
Europe 234 240 45.5 38.3 37.3
The Americas 251 256 33.0 26.2 25.4
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU
Per 100 inhabitants

7. Mobile-cellular subscriptions
total - millions per 100 inhabitants
estimate estimate
2014 2015* 2005 2014 2015*
Africa 646 685 12.4 71.2 73.5
Arab States 409 412 26.8 109.7 108.2
Asia & Pacific 3,663 3,737 22.6 90.6 91.6
CIS 389 391 59.7 137.7 138.1
Europe 754 757 91.7 120.5 120.6
The Americas 1,056 1,066 52.1 108.2 108.1
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU

8. Active mobile-
broadband
subscriptions
millions
per 100
inhabitants inhabitants
2014 2015* 2014 2015*
Africa 117 162 12.9 17.4
Arab States 134 155 36.1 40.6
Asia & Pacific 1,201 1,726 29.7 42.3
CIS 133 141 46.9 49.7
Europe 433 490 69.3 78.2
The Americas 657 765 67.3 77.6
estimate estimate
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU

9. 2005 2012 2014 2015*
Africa 2.9 7.8 9.1 9.9
Arab States 14.7 34.0 39.9 42.8
Asia & Pacific 19.8 31.0 34.1 36.0
CIS 16.6 50.4 57.4 59.2
Europe 52.4 76.2 80.0 81.9
The Americas 40.9 58.4 61.7 63.8
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU
(%)
Households with a computer

10. households
with internet
access at
home
2005 2014 2015*
Africa 1.0 9.7 10.7
Arab States 9.5 38.0 40.3
Asia & Pacific 11.8 36.3 39.0
CIS 11.1 57.2 60.1
Europe 42.0 79.0 82.1
The Americas 32.7 57.3 60.0
estimate
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU

11. millions per 100 inhabitants
2005 2014 2015* 2005 2014 2015*
Africa 17 172 193 2.4 18.9 20.7
Arab States 26 129 141 8.3 34.7 37.0
Asia & Pacific 344 1,366 1,506 9.4 33.8 36.9
CIS 29 162 170 10.3 57.4 59.9
Europe 277 466 487 46.3 74.5 77.6
The Americas 316 616 651 35.9 63.1 66.0
source: end-2015 estimates for key ICT indicators - ITU
Individuals using the Internet

12. key issues in ‘rest of world’
As ITU notes, concerning the 2015 data:
• Africa is region of obvious concern: 20% use Internet in
Africa, compared with almost 40% in Asia & Pacific
(obviously this aggregates very different countries);
• Africa is only region where mobile broadband subscriptions
are below 20%
• Mobile broadband extending rapidly, into rural areas (but
still a long way to go; & what is quality/capability of
coverage?);
• in developing countries, fixed broadband is 3x price of
developed countries, & mobile broadband is 2x price of
developed countries
• Household Internet access: 7% in least developed
countries, compared with 46% world average

13. new dimensions of digital exclusion:
what are the new ‘constraints’?
• Need for research + policy + practice to capture &
address very specific ‘digital repertoires’ (Jonathan
Donner, After Access) in different places E.g. in, let’s
say, a poor community somewhere in the African
region, what’s the mix between use of mobiles for
listening to music, then switching to PC & software for
making/producing music; then storage media
(CD/USB/DVD) as well as ‘cloud’ for distribution?
• Need for research & response to address new
‘constraints’ (cf. Donner, After Access) that arise at cusp
of emerging patterns/trends in use & digital tech
‘repertoires’ & infrastructures & policies

14. What forms do Internet, mobiles phones &
media take around the world? (it’s not all the
same)
What are the mobile Internets emerging, esp. in
Africa, parts of Asia & Oceania, & elsewhere
(e.g. Latin America)?
How we understand role of policy & practice in
shaping such ‘assemblages’ of mobile Internet
technologies & their exclusions/inclusions?
What are the policy & governance ‘ecosystems’,
especially in mobile Internet? How do we align
then to make ‘enabling’ ICTs, beyond divides?

15. missing data/research
‘digital repertoires’
Good data & ICT indicators, by countries &
regions & sub-regions, for people with
disabilities (often among the poorest in ‘rest of
world’)
Public wi-fi

16. references
Jonathan Donner, After Access: Inclusion,
Development, and a More Mobile Internet, MIT
Press, Nov 2015