Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Hossein Asgharnejad
• Morteza Kokabi

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in establishment and expansion of infrastructures of information and communication technologies globally. Thus, components such as users of the Internet, access, speed and bandwidth, Internet penetration rate, cost, distribution and development of information and communication technologies have been considered in different countries.
Methodology: This is a review of the literature which includes both Persian and English works in this field; it also used the information stored in UNESCO and International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) information databases.
Findings and results:  The results showed that the infrastructures in developed and developing countries are superior to that of underdeveloped countries; they are far ahead of these countries in every component studied. Different political, social, economic, and cultural factors have played a role in this development; however, the economic factor, expensive new information technologies in particular, which uses a high proportion of Gross National Product (GNP) of developing countries is the major factor and reason for lowInternet users per hundred population and insufficient development of these infrastructures   in these countries. The results showed that although the gap between developed and underdeveloped countries in this regard is considerable, it is obvious that during recent years we have witnessed a reasonable movement in underdeveloped countries to be equipped with necessary infrastructures to achieve their goals.

Keywords

• information and communications technologies
• infrastructure
• indices
• Internet penetration rate