Editorial
Into the digital divide
Nepal’s IT roadmap must be realistic and aligned with the country’s wherewithalAs of 2013, close to 40 percent of the world population had access to and was actively using the internet, according to the International Telecommunications Union. Nepal ranks 167th in the world, with an internet penetration of only 11 percent. This number, however, is bound to grow steadily in the coming years, spurred in part by the efforts of districts like Myagdi, which is soon planning to declare the district a free WiFi zone. With support from Mahabir Pun’s Nepal Wireless Networking Project, the Myagdi District Development Committee (DDC) hopes to install 16 repeater towers in various places to provide free access to the internet to all residents within the year. This is an ambitious plan that, if realised, has the potential to make Myagdi an IT hub. Not only will free internet bring the world to Myagdi’s residents but it could also attract technology start-ups and business ventures that rely on robust IT infrastructure to set up in Myagdi.
The rest of Nepal would do well to learn from Myagdi’s example. It is not the provision for free WiFi access that must be replicated but Myagdi’s initiative in attempting to meet the information age head on. Policymakers have come up with a National Information Technology Roadmap 2014-2019, but the goals are wildly unrealistic. Nepal places 164th on the UN e-readiness survey but the Roadmap envisions a Nepal where every government service can be availed of through the internet. It would, therefore, be wise of policymakers to temper their goals to better align with Nepal’s wherewithal. An additional danger in this IT pursuit is a widening of the digital divide between the haves and have-nots. The internet is a great leveller of fields but in some cases, it can exacerbate existing social and structural inequalities. For example, twice the number of urban households has access to the internet when compared to rural households, according to the 2011 census. Such discrepancies will have to be kept in mind. But to begin with, a national fund to partially bankroll initiatives similar to Myagdi’s across the nation, with a particular focus on rural areas, would be a start.