Abstract:
Examines technical reasons for excessively slow internet speeds at the University of Botswana, to discover the present state of development efforts addressing such examples of the qualitative digital divide, and to recommend remedies.  Surveys students, the authors' professional experiences, and reports from corporate, public, and intergovernmental organizations.  Bandwidth bottlenecks were identified in successive stages of intercontinental internet traffic. Causes included network design and capacity, telecommunications regulations, and competing budgetary demands within Botswana.
Much of the literature on the digital divide has stressed plentiful hardware and internet connections in affluent societies versus their scarcity in developing societies. This study illustrates that hardware and connections are necessary but not sufficient for adequate online performance. Technological advance and development can each stimulate the other, necessitating more than a simple call for more spending to increase developing countries' bandwidth. The study hopes to assist the international aid community, the telecommunications industry, and the public sector in Botswana and elsewhere in removing obstacles to the internet as a potentially important tool for national- and human-development.

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Gerhan, David; Mutula, Stephen (2005). Bandwidth bottlenecks at the University of Botswana: complications for library, campus, and national development, Library Hi Tech, 23( 1 ):102-117