An Internet diffusion framework

The global diffusion of the Internet is of interest to infrastructure planners and policy makers. Telecommunication infrastructure planning is implicit social planning. Policy makers may see the Internet as an opportunity, a threat, or both, but none can ignore it, infrastructure and society are inextricably interdependent. While this is the case for all nations, the hypothesis that a relatively small networking investment may have a significant impact in developing nations is particularly motivating. While support for policy makers is the primary motivation, one must also confess to a degree of unabashed curiosity in tracking the spread of the Internet around the world. The article focuses on each nation as a unit of analysis and characterize the state of the Internet along six dimensions, which are mentioned in the article.