In the Monde on May 24, 2006, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, gives an optimistic vision of the digital divide in the coming years in developing countries. It starts from the observation that for centuries, access to information was restricted to an elite. Today, it is becoming more democratic through the Internet. Just type a few keywords on a search engine to obtain information. Within a few years, Internet has grown from a marginal phenomenon to a media “inevitable” in the heart of our existence. It is the communications technology that has most changed our lives since the invention of television.
There are now more than a billion people online that connect, communicate and share data. However, this represents only one-fifth of the world population. It is essential for the people of developed countries. At the moment, the digital divide is real and the rate of Internet penetration in developed countries is almost ten times higher than in emerging countries. Alone, indeed, a few privileged developing countries residing in urban areas have a fixed telephone line. In sub-Saharan Africa, less than 1% of households are equipped with a fixed line. Even if each one had a broadband connection, they could not afford for most computer - whose price is several times their average annual income. However, Eric Schmidt believes that eventually the Internet will also grow in poor countries. Internet access via mobile phones will play, as the CEO of Google, an important role in bridging the gap between rich and poor. Mobile phones are less expensive than desktops. They are three times more numerous, they grow twice as fast and are increasingly equipped with Internet access. In addition, the World Bank estimated that over two thirds of the world’s population is served by a mobile phone network. The portable will be the next major technological phenomenon, giving much greater access to the Internet and its benefits. The digitization will enable the populations of emerging countries to access the same information as that available in developed countries. As a schoolboy in Africa may also find articles on his research from around the world