Internet and Its Impact on Developing Countries; Examples from India and China
The Internet and its impact on developing countries: examples from China and India
T. Kanti Srikantaiah
Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA and
The Internet and its impact on China and India 199
Received February 1998 Revised March 1998
Dong Xiaoying
Peking University, Beijing, China
Introduction In the new information climate many countries are relying on electronic access to information through the Internet, which is revolutionising information management and information technology. Developed countries have improved their communication systems and are able to share information in a user-friendly environment. They have used the Internet in various sectors: • agriculture; • health; • public sector management; • industry; • environment; • telecommunications; • trade; • etc. The Internet is now penetrating developing countries. This paper discusses the role of the Internet in such countries, with specific reference to China and India. The Internet The idea of the Internet originated about 25 years ago at the US Defense Department Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), to keep track of data through computer hardware and software. The Internet is now a complex web of networks connected with high-speed links cutting across countries. There are no set boundaries for the Internet in cyberspace. Recent statistics show 50,000 networks in more than 100 countries with more than 50 million users (MIDS press release). It is estimated that the rate of growth in Internet use is around 20 per cent a month. Currently the Internet is not proprietary and is available to anyone with computer access connected to the external world. Since the USA launched the information superhighway in 1994, the Internet has come to play an ever-increasing role in the vast information market in many countries (Table I).
Asian Libraries, Vol. 7 No. 9, 1998, pp. 199-209. © MCB University Press, 1017-6748
Asian Libraries 7,9
Country G-7 countries Canada France Germany
T. Kanti Srikantaiah
Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA and
The Internet and its impact on China and India 199
Received February 1998 Revised March 1998
Dong Xiaoying
Peking University, Beijing, China
Introduction In the new information climate many countries are relying on electronic access to information through the Internet, which is revolutionising information management and information technology. Developed countries have improved their communication systems and are able to share information in a user-friendly environment. They have used the Internet in various sectors: • agriculture; • health; • public sector management; • industry; • environment; • telecommunications; • trade; • etc. The Internet is now penetrating developing countries. This paper discusses the role of the Internet in such countries, with specific reference to China and India. The Internet The idea of the Internet originated about 25 years ago at the US Defense Department Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), to keep track of data through computer hardware and software. The Internet is now a complex web of networks connected with high-speed links cutting across countries. There are no set boundaries for the Internet in cyberspace. Recent statistics show 50,000 networks in more than 100 countries with more than 50 million users (MIDS press release). It is estimated that the rate of growth in Internet use is around 20 per cent a month. Currently the Internet is not proprietary and is available to anyone with computer access connected to the external world. Since the USA launched the information superhighway in 1994, the Internet has come to play an ever-increasing role in the vast information market in many countries (Table I).
Asian Libraries, Vol. 7 No. 9, 1998, pp. 199-209. © MCB University Press, 1017-6748
Asian Libraries 7,9
Country G-7 countries Canada France Germany
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