Key Points:

• The term “digital divide” was first coined by Larry Irving in the 1990s. It initially, focused on the access or non-access question, but with mobile phones’ penetration in our lives, reaching more than 90%, the question has moved toward the quality of bandwidth and skills.
• It is important to understand the existing class differences, in order to understand the digital divide in Pakistan,
• Internet accessibility does not follow a homogenous pattern all across Pakistan, and there remains a wide gap in the use of digital devices and related infrastructure based on geography (rural and urban). This, in turn, leads to marginalisation of certain communities of the society which reduces economic growth.
• The less the digital divide, the more opportunities can be provided for the marginalised communities and geographical locations, towards digitalisation of Pakistan.
• The threat that the digital divide pose, resides in the non-traditional domain, and it is the least catered for as far as the hybridity of threats is concerned.