Impact of measures;
• At international level, the most basic, and the most important, indicator of the digital divide is the
number of access lines per 100 inhabitants. It is the leading indicator for the level of universal
service in telecommunications and a fundamental measure of the international digital divide.
• In 1998, the world’s access lines numbered just over 851 million, with some 64.5% in OECD
countries. In countries with the lowest GDP per capita, there were only 1.6 lines per 100
inhabitants in 1998.
• The share of OECD countries has steadily fallen over the 1990s, in part because access lines in
China have risen from 6.6 million in 1990 to 87.4 million in 1998.
• Over the 1990s, penetration rates have increased in all regions, but in Africa growth has been negligible.
• At international level, the most basic, and the most important, indicator of the digital divide is the
number of access lines per 100 inhabitants. It is the leading indicator for the level of universal
service in telecommunications and a fundamental measure of the international digital divide.
• In 1998, the world’s access lines numbered just over 851 million, with some 64.5% in OECD
countries. In countries with the lowest GDP per capita, there were only 1.6 lines per 100
inhabitants in 1998.
• The share of OECD countries has steadily fallen over the 1990s, in part because access lines in
China have risen from 6.6 million in 1990 to 87.4 million in 1998.
• Over the 1990s, penetration rates have increased in all regions, but in Africa growth has been negligible.