Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

Seventeen per cent of Jamaicans now have access to the Internet, according to the latest Gleaner-commissioned poll done by pollster Bill Johnson, but only 11 per cent have a computer at home. This despite Jamaica being ranked 43rd in the world in the 2006 e-readiness report by the Economist Intelligence Unit publication.

Just over 1,000 people across all 14 parishes were included in the poll conducted on January 5 and 6 with a margin of error, plus or minus three per cent. The poll did not make a distinction between home vis-à-vis work-place access to the Internet.

E-learning project

President of the Jamaica Computer Society, Errol Ander-son, said that the poll figures were low. However, Anderson remained confident that Internet access and computer ownership would continue to rise over the next five years.

"There is a ray of hope with the development of the US$100 computer which will become available next year ... Kids will increasingly access the Internet at schools with the E-Learning Project, but often adults who don't have it at the workplace won't have access until it really gets off the ground at places like the post office," he said.

Under the project, all of Jamaica's 150 high schools, from grades seven to 11, will be given high-speed Internet access with distance learning added to the curriculum.

The poll findings come six months after Flow's entry into the fixed-line Internet market last year while Digicel will be launching its wireless service mid-year with Cable & Wireless looking to extend its own wireless services.

Competition has driven down the price of Internet access while computers have become cheaper thanks to GCT exemption and the bundling of packages together with Internet subscriptions.

But, according to Carlton Cowell, proprietor of Kingston-based One Stop Computers, which has an agreement with Flow to supply discounted computers to its subscribers, the price remains too high for many.

"Ownership is increasing - but slowly. It will continue because prices have lowered, but even then many people can't come up with $30,000 (the price of a One Stop-computer package), so they need financing," said Cowell.

He reported that One Stop now has more lower-income customers and is developing a payment scheme.

ross.sheil@gleanerjm.com