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World information society report 2007 (Executive Summary)
International Telecommunication Union and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
May 2007

http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2007/report.html

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Contents

  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • The digital divide is shrinking
  • Broadband Internet
  • Mobile telephony
  • Digital opportunity worldwide, 2006
  • Affordability
  • Cybersecurity
  • WSIS implementation
  • Mobile market data: Top 20 largest mobile markets
  • Broadband market data: Top 20 largest broadband markets
  • Table of contents (full report)
  • Order form

Introduction

The World Information Society Report 2007: Beyond WSIS tracks progress in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). At the Summit, world leaders committed to turning the digital divide into a digital opportunity for all. They also agreed on a set of targets for improving access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), to be achieved by 2015 at the latest.

The Report finds that the digital divide is shrinking in most technologies, especially mobile telephony, but that limitations in the availability and affordability of broadband remain a cause for concern. Although broadband is now available in 170 economies by the start of 2007, it remains at least ten times more expensive in low-income countries than in high-income countries and is often unavailable outside urban areas.

The Report also examines strategies to boost ICT infrastructure and broaden access to ICTs, including market and regulatory reform, investment promotion strategies and fiscal incentives. It illustrates these strategies with a series of mini-case studies for a range of economies, both developed and developing. The Report uses the evaluation methodologies endorsed by the WSIS to measure "opportunity" in access to ICTs, using the Digital Opportunity Index (DOI), developed by the Digital Opportunity Platform, and the ITU's ICT Opportunity Index (ICT-OI). The implementation of WSIS programmes is on track, with many projects underway around the world to meet WSIS targets by 2015.

Threats to online security are becoming more sophisticated and pervasive. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs was a key aim of the WSIS and the Report examines the evolution in cyberthreats, including spam, spyware, botnets, identity theft, breaches of privacy and other risks associated with online transactions. By some estimates, spam now accounts for 90 per cent of email traffic, but more serious is its role in spreading viruses or in fraudulent activity and phishing. These risks threaten to undermine user confidence and inhibit the growth of the online world. This Report is being issued to coincide with the cluster of WSIS relating meetings held in Geneva, 14-25 May 2007, to coordinate WSIS implementation. The full text of the Report (200 pp) is available online free of charge at www.itu.int/wisr and www.unctad.org/wisr.

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