Tech notes

Apr 5 2007 By Herb Kim, The Journal

This month, it was announced that Sunderland City Council will receive a £3.5m grant to improve the lives of vulnerable and excluded people through technology. As the winner of the Communities and Local Government's `Digital Challenge' competition, the city will now be recognised as an example of how ICT technologies can be used to bridge what has become known as `the digital divide'.

The divide, for those who haven't heard the term before, refers to the gap that exists between those who have access to effective digital equipment and services (the foremost being the internet) and can use them, and those who don't and/or can't. Sunderland's win is wonderful news for the North-East, and the latest in a number of similar successes for the city itself, which is quickly building its credentials as one of the world's ICT strongholds.

As well as beating competition from 78 Digital Challenge bids (including Manchester and Birmingham), Sunderland was recently re-named for an unprecedented fifth year in a row as one of the world's most intelligent cities by the Intelligent Community Forum for its transformation from "industrial has-been to intelligent community". Its placing isn't surprising. The area is already home to some of the most productive software companies in Europe. In addition, regional development agency One NorthEast is developing plans to further invest in Sunderland as a `Software City' to raise the city's profile as a hub of software excellence.

The announcement of Sunderland's success was timely. In the same week, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) released a report which revealed that, while Britain is increasingly adopting internet technologies, the digital divide is getting wider for some groups in the UK - especially amongst the poor.

The report found in the richest 10% of households, 90% have internet access, a home computer and mobile phones. By contrast, of the poorest 10%, just 20% have internet access, only 30% have a computer, and just over half have a mobile phone. Thankfully, armed with its grant, Sunderland plans to address the problem in its area, hopefully benefiting 500 community groups.

But of course, the problem isn't restricted to Sunderland alone. Today's technologies are developing faster than ever before, and it's these sexy, emerging technologies that grab the most column inches - not the problems of those left behind.

It's hugely important for the region that policy-makers monitor Sunderland's progress closely and start implementing their own initiatives to tackle this divide.

* Herb Kim is CEO of Codeworks, the North-East's centre of digital excellence.