"A call from the United States to Switzerland costs less than five U.S. cents a minute, whereas a call to many parts of Africa costs one U.S. dollar per minute, or 20 times more," said Yoshio Utsumi, secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU. "If the price came down, African citizens would better be able to join the international community."
At a two-day General Assembly session on IT for developing countries -- which ends Wednesday -- Utsumi said 83 countries in Africa, Asia and the former Soviet Union still have less than 10 telephone lines for every 100 people.
He said 25 countries have less than one phone line for every 100 people, and 61 countries have less than 1 percent Internet use, primarily in Africa.
"It is quite obvious that humanity, for better or worse, is now entering an age where information-oriented activities are a major part" of the economy, Utsumi said. "Information has become the key to competitive advantage for both business and modern states."
The International Telecommunications Union is helping developing countries provide a regulatory framework for private communications companies to invest safely and profitably to boost telephone and Internet access, he said.
"Political leaders should make investment in this field the number one priority," Utsumi said. "If we do not take any action, the gap between the information 'haves' and 'have nots' will continue to grow."
While the globe is becoming more and more wired, Secretary-General Kofi Annan also warned that "the digital divide still yaws as widely as ever, with billions of people still unconnected to a global society."
He cited two major reasons -- that efforts have not included the participation of developing countries at all stages and that promising initiatives did not live up to expectations.
The International Telecommunications Union is taking the lead role in preparing for the first World Summit on Information Technology, which will be held in two parts. The first in Geneva from Dec. 10-12 will cover all major issues. The second in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, in 2005 will focus on IT for development.
Senegal's President Abdulaye Wade, who is in charge of an initiative by African leaders to promote the spread of the Internet, said the digital gap is starting to be filled. He cited a new system of underwater fiber optic communications that links Europe, Africa and Asia.
It shows "that our continent is well on its way toward digital emancipation," Wade said.
Wade said African leaders will submit a number of projects in the telecommunications field to leaders of the seven major industrialized nations and Russia at their summit in Canada on June 26-27.
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