The technology "haves" and the "have nots": The Case of Cyprus

The social and economical dividends of the Internet appear to be boundless. The Internet has not only virtually transformed our society and economy, but also the way we live and work. This paper examines technology usage and understanding in the rural and urban areas of Cyprus. It is based on the results of the project DIADIGITE funded by the Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus for the expansion of the internet in the rural areas of the country and enabling the development of e-activities in various sectors of the Cypriot economy. This project and its successor VIRTUAL BUS, funded by the same organization, aim at promoting new tools and methodologies for electronic transactions and infrastructures, as well as the exploitation of information technology and communications in education and culture, the promotion of e-govemment and new services for the citizen and the enterprises, and access to the Information Society. The results show that the rural areas are behind in internet services such as e-commerce, e-banking and e-govemment. The infrastructure availability is a major issue for the rural areas since high speed networks are not available in most of them. Contrary, in the urban areas, the developments in information communication technologies are improving continuously. This difference creates disadvantages in the way of life, economy, culture, and in the development of the individuals. Thus, the necessary measures have to be taken for the prevention of e-exclusion and the reduction of the digital divide between the technology "haves" and the "have nots".