The obstacles to modernization are many. The costs of installing modern telecommunications infrastructure, from phone lines and fiber-optic cables to relay towers, are enormous, and they are not the only pressing needs facing poor governments vying for foreign aid. Japan has its own telecoms aid program, focusing on Asia. And bridging the digital divide is not just costly. Catching up with the computer, Internet and telecommunications revolutions requires layers of infrastructure, financing institutions and equipment, and a culture of know-how.
Several trends offer hope.
Prices of personal computers have tumbled. Internet-based communications are a small fraction cheaper than those via traditional telephones or faxes. In many cases, a remarkable array of locally initiated Internet services has emerged in developing countries without outside help. Some governments are easing regulatory restrictions. Across the developing world, thousands of public access points for phone, fax and computer or Internet use are springing up.