IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The decision to replace mobile frequency bands comes as the Sultanate prepares to hand out 4G long-term evolution (LTE) licences. However, despite the wave of activity taking place across the telecoms sector, there are concerns that the joint roaming agreement could fail to produce results for the country, unless tariffs are revised downwards to levels nearer those of its regional peers.

Officially opening the first ITEX ICT Conference in Gaborone last week, Mrs Venson-Moitoi said the digital gap was an obstacle to development.

Mrs Venson-Moitoi added that government recognised that the public private cooperation to overcome the digital divide was crucial to the building of an information society.

Led by a trio of experts, that policy review completes its first phase today as all initial submissions are due by midnight. The final report is expected by year end.

Digital divide or technology gap, which is the gap that exists in various aspects, including internet access, computer literacy, and skills required to navigate the digital world, has indeed widened in Nigeria, due to advancements in global technology.

While developed nations are creating new technologies that will propel the digital age, Nigeria and other developing nations are having to play catch-up due to inadequate ICT infrastructure.

Data centre co-location is on the upswing worldwide, says Bloomberg, with demand in the market set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7 percent between 2023 and 2030 to reach nearly $90 billion, according to the global media and financial data and analytics firm.

This upsurge can be attributed to several factors, including rising demand for over-the-top (OTT) media and video streaming services and the need to lower ICT infrastructure costs, as well as the emergence of technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), self-driven vehicles, cloud computing and robotics.

When discussing the many inequalities of our hemisphere, one recurrent issue is the so-called digital divide. This divide exists not only along the traditional lines of north/south disparities (developed versus developing countries) but also within countries when comparing urban and rural areas and particularly the social structure of wealthy minorities and poverty-stricken majorities.

The World Bank's report, "The Path to 5G in the Developing World," outlines the transformative potential of 5G technology in driving economic growth and digital transformation in developing nations. The article discusses the benefits of 5G across various sectors, the associated risks, and the policy measures needed for successful deployment.

As the world races towards digital transformation, the fifth-generation mobile network, known as 5G, is set to revolutionize the way we live and work. The recent report by the World Bank, "The Path to 5G in the Developing World," sheds light on the immense potential of 5G technology to drive economic growth and innovation, especially in developing nations. This next-gen technology promises to deliver unprecedented speeds, ultra-low latency, and the ability to connect a million devices per square kilometer, making it a game-changer in the digital landscape.

The recent news from the World Economic Forum held in Davos was encouraging. Computer giant Microsoft has signed a one billion dollar agreement with UNDP. This five-year plan is aimed at bridging the digital divide in developing countries, starting with Egypt , Morocco and Mozambique .

Ofcom, the government telecoms regulator, has today said more and more Brits are using the internet to access public services.

The report offers more detail on research referenced by chief executive Ed Richards earlier this week, when he said half of those without broadband don't want it.

Just over half of U.S. households currently subscribe to broadband Internet services, but Gartner predicts that that percentage will grow by more than 20 points by 2012. Amanda Sabia, a Gartner principal research analyst, says one of the biggest factors in the spread of broadband will be the advent of such 4G wireless services as WiMAX and Long Term Evolution that are expected to be launched in various markets over the next four years.

The multinational company is collaborating with non-profit organisation Infocom Federation of Brunei to; bring IT training and assessment to the doorsteps of those in rural areas.

Microsoft Country Manager Azizah Ali said that they will start the training sessions in January next year to improve digital literacy in Brunei.

More than 40,000 tax payments in 2017 were made manually, highlighting how far the government and private sector have to travel to achieve true digital government.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in an economic analysis of the potential benefits from its $30m project to transform the government's digital/IT infrastructure and boost Bahamian economic competitiveness, revealed that thousands of VAT, business licence and real property tax payments are still being made "in person".

"Challenges in ICT are many, especially for countries of our development stature that are mainly factor-driven or just transiting to efficiency-driven economies," Molale said.

He was speaking at a Botswana Information Technology Society (BITS) training forum for ICT professionals in the private, parastal and government sectors on a new system for Internet addresses called Inter Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

Those eligible for its Fair Entry subsidy programme can access low-cost access to internet, wireless and TV services through the Rogers Connected programme.

The City of Calgary is introducing a low-cost internet, wireless and TV service programme for those living with low income, contributing to the Canadian city’s social equity objectives.

In 2009, eHealth funded eCare Kenora, a $339,000 initiative to connect three sites within the family health team and another between the Paterson Medical Centre and the laboratory at the hospital. While the family health team has been successful in establishing its network, the bridge between the doctors and the hospital is out.

The Provincial Administration Information System (PAIS), which was being built with assistance from South Korea, was intended to connect the entire country to allow the government to automate its systems, Sok An said.

It will be hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goals without fully integrating the Information and Communication Technology component. This is the key idea that came out from the visit to Cameroon of Hamadoun Toure, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Given its increasing potential to provide social and economic benefits to societies, bridging the digital divide has become a priority for governments around the world.

This is especially true for major developing countries like Indonesia, India and China, due to ICT’s ability to connect a vast and diverse population at a speed faster than traditional infrastructure can offer. ICT can be a motor for enhancing public services such as education and health care, as well as promoting entrepreneurship and the growth of the small and medium enterprises that often dominate an emerging country’s business landscape.

The humble handset has given disadvantaged people access to information with which they can build businesses or increase the productivity of their crops in geographically isolated areas, such as remotes islands in Indonesia and the Philippines, and where there are dodgy roads, unreliable public transport, and disrupted landlines.

Smart cities are supposed to represent the pinnacle of technological and human advancement. They certainly deliver on that promise from a technological standpoint. Smart cities employ connected IoT networks, AI, computer vision, NLP, blockchain and similar other technologies and applications to bolster urban computing, which is utilized to optimize a variety of functions in law enforcement, healthcare, traffic management, supply chain management and countless other areas. As human advancement is more ideological than physical, measuring it comes down to a single metric—the level of equity and inclusivity in smart cities. Essentially, these factors are down to how well smart city administrators can reduce digital exclusivity, eliminate algorithmic discrimination and increase citizen engagement. Addressing the issues related to data integrity and bias in AI can resolve a majority of inclusivity problems and meet the above-mentioned objectives.