Internet access outside North America

In North America, it's easy to take Internet access for granted. We're almost at the point – particularly in Canada – where dial-up access is almost considered ancient technology. This reality came home to roost during a recent vacation to Playa del Carmen, a small resort city in Mexico (www.playadelcarmen.com) where Internet cafes are still very much alive and well. They are not only used by tourists checking their Yahoo or Hotmail accounts, but by locals looking for information online. It is a good reminder there are many people who do not have Internet access at home, and people who don't use the Internet at all – as hard as that is to believe for us Web addicts. This reminded me of a speech Nortel CEO Frank Dunn gave earlier this year. Most of it was pretty dull stuff. Some of the reporters – okay, me – rolled their eyes when Dunn started talking about buses that travel through remote parts of India providing people with wireless Web access. It struck as just another fun-fact that high-tech CEOs like to throw into speeches, but perhaps Dunn is onto something.