IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Ιnternet access in Cyprus households increased to 92.8% from 89.6% in 2019, according to official data released Friday.

According to the survey on information and communication technologies, 90.5% of people aged 16-74 use the internet at least once a week.

The percentage is higher for those aged 16–24 with 99.6% using the internet at least once a week.

For the first time since surveys on internet access began, more than half of the rural population in Brazil is now connected to the internet.

The milestone represents opportunities for companies providing connection and services over the internet, such as OTTs, platforms for e-government, and e-commerce facilitations.

The pandemic has accelerated Cyprus’ digitalisation process as it plays catch-up with the rest of the world as the need for faster internet grows.

And the Cyprus Telecommunication Authority is rolling out faster internet projects years ahead of schedule.

Cyta crews have been seen on the streets laying a fibre optic network, speeding up the project to offer consumers super high speeds, fast-forwarding the process by at least four years.

Kenya has, in partnership with Google’s sister firm, Loon, launched a fleet of 35 internet balloons that will provide internet services to remote areas of the country. This is the first balloon-powered internet to launch in Africa. Nixon Muganda explains how these will work and the opportunities they can bring.

Q: How do internet balloons work and do many countries use them?

Google’s internet balloons are wireless Internet connectivity towers that float in the stratosphere. They beam Internet signals to earth-based stations, which then transmit the internet to users through internet service providers.

The Việt Nam Internet Forum 2017 (VIF17) will take place at the Hà Nội Museum on November 27-28.

VIF17, themed ‘Digital For Good’, will discuss the contribution of the internet to a creative, sustainable and open society through e-governance, open data, smart cities and social network development.

At a time when the Ministry of Telecommunication is trying hard to build a “Digital India” and the country is talking about moving towards 5G internet connections, people in the country are still struggling to get a good data speed on their existing 4G connections.

According to a recent report published by world data speed monitoring platform Ookla, India ranks at 129th position in a list of 138 countries in terms of data speed. The average 4G internet speed in India is even lower than countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Despite the government's pro-digital approach, 54 percent rural households in Bangladesh do not have access to internet, a new study shows. And experts fear this 'digital divide' could hinder e-governance progress.

According to the research findings unveiled today, 59 percent in rural households do not have access to a smartphone and 49 percent have no access to computers.

"AfriNIC will be allocating IPv4 for the next two years, meaning people are not in urgency mode compared to other regions. Organizations are still in their comfort zone," said Adiel Akplogan, CEO of AfriNIC, the regional Internet registrar.

There are those who suggest that the disparate state of the connectivity services market in South Africa is due, in part, to the various business models that exist and the need to make technology work.

The pilot aims to provide increased value to ISPs by issuing certificates based on public key cryptography. Public keys are widely distributed but private keys are secret -- messages are encrypted with the public key and can only be decrypted with the private key to ensure confidentiality. AfricNIC officials discussed the project last week at the AfriNIC-12 Public Policy Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

He assessed the process of connecting systems of national significance to the internet as a recipe for disaster, and he was right: the internet is insecure. And yet we use it today for everything from social media, shopping and banking through to education and, in the near future, eHealth.

The last of these, edging towards becoming reality in Australia, simply should not proceed within the current system.

Speakers at a programme have urged the government to provide high-speed internet at affordable cost across the country to ensure people's access to available digital services.

They also stressed the need for bringing down the prices of digital devices by adjusting tax rates and promoting local manufacturers.

Besides, they suggested creating sector-specific skilled human resources for digital transformation of both government and private services in a bid to fulfil the vision of 'Digital Bangladesh'.

The study also finds that the income of a household has a strong and significant impact on the household’s digital access, skills, and literacy

A recent survey has revealed that about half of all rural households in Bangladesh do not have access to a computer or the internet.

Industry insiders said it is a 'breakthrough' for the ICT (information communication technology) sector development which has been facing problems for long due to dependence on the lone submarine cable -- SEA-ME-WE-4.

The Brazilian government has launched a new national strategy to bring connectivity to the country’s 140,000 state-run schools.

The National Strategy for Connected Schools aims to connect all schools in Brazil to the Internet by the end of 2026, with quality targets to ensure that all students in the country are guaranteed access and can use information and communication technologies (ICTs) for educational purposes.

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.

China ist drauf und dran, im Internet die USA als weltweite Nummer eins abzulösen. Wie aus einer von China Tech News veröffentlichten Untersuchung von Morgan Stanley hervorgeht, hat die Zahl der Webuser im Reich der Mitte Ende des Vorjahres 80 Millionen erreicht. Damit liegt das Riesenreich weltweit bereits auf Platz zwei und muss sich nur den USA geschlagen geben.

More and more people are surfing the net these days, using a multiple array of devices each of which require a web or Internet Protocol (IP) address. As a result of this surge in demand, the internet is fast running out of addresses.