Taking the Measure of National Bandwidths: Evolving Patterns of the International Digital Divide for 1986-2013

The article measures different aspects of the evolution of the international digital divide between 1986 and 2013. The traditional approach of measuring digital development in terms of telecom subscriptions is increasingly becoming obsolete, especially as mobile phone penetration reaches population saturation levels. It shows that the bandwidth divide continuous to be dynamic and is very persistent, as it can closely be linked to the international income divide. Novel findings reveal that only 3 countries host 50 % of the globally installed bandwidth potential (10 countries 75 %), that the digital divide between high-and low income countries in terms of kbps per capita has increased between 2001 and 2008, only decreasing below historic levels very recently during 2012-2013, and that the contribution of mobile to global bandwidth is continuously fluctuating with incessant technological innovation, reaching almost 40 % in both 2001 and 2013, while falling to 16 % in 2007.