The bandwidth prices in Asia remain more than 300% expensive than the western hemisphere, said TeleGeography that has been constantly reporting this constant gap. But the Asian leaders seem unmoved about this fundamentally flawed and potentially dangerous trend across the continent. TeleGeography reports only the wholesale prices up to the gateway. Once the backhaul and licensing costs are taken into account, the Asian Internet bandwidth prices become far more expensive. Spectrum had been the only raw material of ICT until the 2G mobile became pervasive. Now the Internet bandwidth has been added as the second ingredient of ICT for development. Therefore, the cost of Internet bandwidth has to be reduced across Asia. Otherwise, discussing the digital divide and planning to bridge it shall remain as futile as chasing the mirage.
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