Which developing countries have done the most to close the digital divide?

Often, an answer to the question posed in the title is provided for either mobile phones or the Internet but not both at once. In this paper by contrast I require that successful countries do well on both forms of technology, over the period from 2000 to 2006. Using two measures for both mobile phones and the Internet, countries were ranked in four tables, which served as the basis on which the major conclusions were drawn. I find that Jamaica performs much better than any other low or low-middle income country, though there is a group of four other countries in a clear secondary position. My explanations of particular outcomes were often limited by the unavailability of good country-case material (though there is some).

► This paper began as a preliminary search for patterns in the adoption of mobile phones and the Internet in developing countries. ► During this process it quickly became apparent that one country’s performance dominated all the others. ► The issue then became one of explaining Jamaica’s unrivalled performance.