It was at the Okinawa summit in July last year that the leaders of the eight major industrialised democracies (G8 countries) defined information and communication technology (ICT) as a means to fight the roots of conflict and poverty in the world. ICT, they said, had huge potential for "enabling economies to expand further, countries to enhance public welfare and promote stronger social cohesion, and thus democracy to flourish". Access to digital opportunities should, therefore, "be open to all".

But there is a long way to go before this is achieved. According to the United Nations, half the world's population is still shut out of cyberspace. For residents of most rural villages in developing countries, the chances of stumbling upon an internet connection today are - zero.

Mike Jensen, however, has a more optimistic view. The "digital divide" will narrow in some countries and widen in others, says this telecom consultant from South Africa's Port Saint Johns. "It really depends on how quickly national policy-makers respond to developments and make the necessary changes to existing policies to eliminate barriers, and invoke new policies that enourage the use of these tools," he says. "The rapid uptake of cellular [mobile] phones and other technologies clearly shows that people in developing countries will respond swiftly if there are no barriers in place," he adds.

In his country, he explains laughing, breweries are already complaining about a loss of revenue, because people would rather save for a mobile phone than buy another beer.

Mr Jensen is an independent consultant with 15 years' experience assisting in the establishment of ICT systems in some 33 African countries. He is a trustee of the African IT Education Trust, sits on the board of SangoNet, an ISP for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and was a member of the African Conference of Ministers' High-Level Working Group, which developed the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) in 1996.

In his opinion, the internet can best be made accessible to people in developing countries through initiatives that lower the cost of entry for business and for the public. "Policies to deregulate telecoms will lower the cost of access - cheap terminals can be found in India and Brazil now for about $200 (£139)," he says. "Combined with public access facilities, this will make access even broader." Several computer companies from the US and Europe have recently identified developing countries - and their roughly 4bn inhabitants - as new markets. They are handing out computers, modems, solar panels and satellite-dish antennas to remote villages, and co-operating with international organisations to promote the internet.

Analysts have already found a name for the projects - B2-4B, short for "business to four billion".

Mr Jensen thinks this could help bridge the gap. "People in the West," says Mr Jensen, "know that unless the conditions in developing countries improve, their own security will be threatened."

E-mail Karin Finkenzeller at finkenzeller.karin@ftd.de