ICT (Information, communication and technologies) is the technlogy required for information processing, in particular, the use of electronic computers, communication devices and software applications to convert store, protect, transmit, and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime.According to the European Commission, the importance of ICTs lies less in the technology itself than in its ability to create greater access to information and communication in underserved populations.



Many countries around the world have established organizations for the promotion of ICTs, because it is feared that unless less technologically advanced areas have a chance to catch up, the increasing technological advances in developed nations will only serve to exacerbate the already-existing economic gap between technological "have" and "have not" areas. Internationally, the United Nations actively promotes ICTs for Development as a means of bridging the digital divide.