Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1. Introducing the Digital Divide
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Digital Divide
1.3 The Global Society
1.4 Internet
2. Growth of the Internet
2.1 The Expectations
2.2 Indicators for Measuring Growth of the Internet
2.2.1 The Amount of Investment in Information Technology
2.2.2 The Number of Internet Users
2.2.3 The Number of Connected Hosts
2.2.4 The Valuations by Network Wizard
2.3 Development of the Internet in the USA
2.4 Development of the Internet in the Europe
3. The Internet in the Developing Countries
3.1 The Causes of Underdevelopment of the Internet
3.1.1 The Growth of the Internet in the Developing Countries
3.1.2 Obstacles to the Growth of the Internet in the Developing Countries
3.2 The Telecommunications Infrastructure
3.2.1 The Fixed Telephone Service
3.2.2 The Mobile Telephones
3.2.3 Satellite Technology
3.3 ISP in the Developing Countries
3.4 The Information and Communications Technology Industry
3.4.1 Costs and Limits of the Market
4. The On-Line Education
4.1 Social Progress
4.1.1 The Internet and Education
4.2 The Use of the Internet in Education
4.2.1 Some Experiences in Argentina
4.2.2 Some Experiences in the Middle East and the Arab Countries
4.3 Distance Learning
4.3.1 Costs and Advantages of Distance Learning
5. The Net and Health Informatics
5.1 Medicine
5.2 HealthNet
5.3 Further Examples
5.4 How to Value the Support by Internet
6. The Net and the Economy of the Developing Countries
6.1 The Internet as a Development Factor
6.2 Agriculture
6.2.1 Support to Farmers
6.3 The Enterprises
6.3.1 The Lack of Information
6.3.2 Advantages for Enterprises
6.3.3 Obstacles to the Diffusion of eCommerce
6.4 The Services: the Banks and Tourism
7. The Regulation of the Internet
7.1 Internet Governance the Role of the State
7.2 The Censorship of Internet in the Developing Countries
7.3 The Law about Privacy
7.4 Governments and the Telecommunications
7.5 International Development Projects