ABSTRACT
The past decade has seen a remarkable growth in the diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) across the world. This growth has been fuelled by technological advances, economic investment, and social and cultural changes that have facilitated the integration of ICT into everyday life. The general public – consumers – as well as a range of new stakeholders have had a significant impact on shaping this growth, for example by demanding better products, services and value for money. As these technologies enter the mainstream of business and cultural life, there is also a greater awareness of their potential as economic and social tools and, with it, new social and political pressure to re-frame ICT as a public good to be made accessible and available to all. This shift has had important ramifications in countries and at the international level as well.
