In addition, several targets in a plan of action that some 169 countries are expected to endorse at the World Summit on the Information Society-- such as ensuring everyone has access to television and radio services -- have already been achieved, according to the annual study.

The 189-member ITU, a United Nations agency, is the organiser of the summmit, which is due to run from December 10-12.

Official statistics show that the 16 percent of the world's population who live in the richest countries account for 70 percent of all Internet users.

In contrast, the 40 percent who live in the poorest nations comprise only five percent of web surfers -- illustrating the so-called digital divide.

However, the 2003 ITU World Telecommunication Development Report said those figures may not tell the whole story.

It pointed out that rich countries conduct the majority of surveys on the number of Internet users, while there is no official tally carried out by nations classed as low income.

"What does that mean? It means that we have been guessing how many Internet users there are in a lot of developing countries," said Michael Minges, an ITU specialist and one of the authors of the report.

"When governments do carry out surveys the results are pretty startling," he told a news conference in Geneva.

For example, the rate of Internet users in Jamaica had been estimated at five percent, but a government survey in 2002 put the real ratio at 23 percent, according to the report.

And wealthy countries in the European Union, which often churn out large numbers of charts on Internet use, have been over-estimating penetration rates.

An official survey by national statistics agencies in EU countries showed that Internet penetration was on average 13 percent less than the 15-nation EU bloc had been saying, said Minges.

"Is the digital divide as big as we think it is? From the results we have in, no," the specialist said.

This could have "big ramifications for next week's meetings. Everyone is talking about the digital divide but we are finding that maybe it isn't that big," Minges said.

Some 10,000 people are expected to attend the first ever summit on the information society, which will be followed by a second meeting in Tunisia in

But disagreements over the focus and aims of the event -- such as how to finance access to information for all -- have triggered much controversy.

Instead of throwing money at the digital divide, Minges suggested that governments concetrate on opening their information and communication sectors to private industry.

They should also improve affordability and public knowledge of the services that are already potentially available, he said.

The report pointed out that certain targets contained in a draft plan of action for the summit had already been achieved, such as a goal to give the world's population access to television and radio by 2015 at the latest.

According to the ITU, 89 percent of people already have access to television and 95 percent to radio.

Minges said more money should be spent on improving statistical surveys.

"Good statistical practice is important. Transparency, clarity, timeliness and relevance are critical," according to the report, which challenges governments to adopt a set of proposed standards to record data by 2005.

"If this can be achieved, the world will have taken a giant step towards better measuring and understanding the information society."

SPACE.WIRE