Internet subscription in Africa: policy for a dual digital divide

African nations face a dual digital divide: First, the majority of the population lacks basic infrastructure for Internet access. Second, low Internet subscription rates characterize those who have the potential for access. Factors hypothesized to influence Internet subscription among those with the potential for access include: Economic development, international Internet bandwidth, domestic Internet hosts, ISP market structure, the cost of a local telephone call, and whether English is an official language. Statistical results indicate the strongest influences on subscription are whether English is an official language, monopoly ISP market structure, overall economic development, and the amount of international bandwidth. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.