The Cuban government has decided to expand Cuba's involvement in the information technology and electronic publishing sectors, with the Internet at the core. Anxious to replace the sugar industry as the country's main source of revenue, authorities are looking towards the information technology market, a business that far surpasses the potential of even tourism. That figure puts the country ahead of Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Spain and China, and on the same level as Italy. But uppermost on the agenda were not books, but telecommunications. More and more, information about jobs and health care is available on the Internet.
Electronic information is usually more up to date.
My big worry is that only people who can afford it will have access to this information. Intel's Intercast service is being described as a very easy way to get interactive television using existing technology. Intercast users will be expected to store the Web pages on a PC with a built-in TV tuner card. The first Intercasters include CNN, NBC, Time Warner and the QVC shopping channel. Kuala Lumpur-based Internet content provider Asia Connect plans to wire up Penang province so that operations and transactions including setting up of factories can be facilitated via the Web.