Factors Influencing the Diffusion of Information and Communications Technology: Are Developing Countries Different?

This paper uses a logistic model of technology diffusion to investigate the relationship between rates of mobile phone, internet and broadband use and a number of economic, geographic and institutional variables, in a sample of 144 countries from 1990 to 2013. It pays particular attention to the differences in the process of diffusion between high- and low-income countries. The aim of the paper is to identify the main characteristics of countries that have had success in adopting these new technologies in order to gain some insight into the barriers which may be faced by those countries that have been less successful. The results suggest that there are important differences between high- and low-income countries in terms of the factors that influence the diffusion of digital technologies.