Besides all the promising lures and benefits, the usage of technology, unfortunately, is not the same across the globe, within the continents and economies and even within communities. This has started a new debate of "Digital Divide" in the emerging INFO ERA. Even before the information revolution, humanity had too many more fundamental "divides" such as literacy divide, gender divide, business as well as energy divide. However, most of these divides are now merged with "digital divide". It is important to emphasize that by addressing the digital divide, we are not marginalizing other divides, but rather appraising how riding the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) wave can lead to more efficient production, boost trade, revitalize governance and better deliver social services including health information, and therefore lead to a general improvement in the welfare of society and narrowing some of other divides. In countries where citizens still struggle for reliable social and economic infrastructure, bridging the digital divide may seem like a lofty goal. However, ICT can serve as enabler, therefore enabling governments and individual citizens to improve quality of life of their citizens and to achieve sustained economic growth.

The term "Digital Divide" from a normative standpoint refers to unequal and disproportionate pace of development in societies in having access to digital infrastructure and services. Whereas, the US-based Digital Divide Network defines digital divide as "the gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools such as the Internet, and those who cannot". The most basic of contemporary communication devices is the telephone. Thus we can start to define the parameters of digital divide when we learn that 30% of the world population has never made a telephone call.70% of the world 's poor live in rural area where access to ICTs, even to a telephone, is often scarce. So, precisely, "Digital divide" is in one sense, a reflection of existing broader socio-economic inequalities and can be characterized by insufficient infrastructure, high cost of access, inappropriate or weak policy regime, inefficiencies in the provision of telecommunication networks and services, lack of locally created content, and uneven ability to derive economic and social benefits from information-intensive activities.

We believe that there is a digital divide across the planet, across regions, within countries, within sectors, between urban and rural areas, between neighborhoods and communities.

The researchers have studied several demographical factors that have significantly affected the phenomenon of digital divides across and within countries and have also raises number of issues that needs to be resolved in bridging the digital divide. These factors arises from the disparities in income, literacy, education, gender, computer ownership and prior experiences, cultural practices, lack of access to basic infrastructure such as electricity, telecommunication and mass media due to the urban and rural areas.

Knowing that societal gap exists between the users of information technology within various groups, the governments and non-official programs comprising efforts by both the private sector and civil society are aiming to bridge this divide and reduce the disparities. At the same time, there is a virtually unprecedented development criss-cross that is taking place. The development criss-cross is a convergence and a clash, at one and the same time of positive progressive trends with conflicual eruptions of violence and breakdown. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has been in existence but is now gaining a new momentum.

The issues of digital divide exist even in the most advanced communities of the world. In
US, the senator Jesse Jackson calls it "classic apartheid". To President Clinton, it's the digital divide, the alleged chasm between the information haves and have-nots. During his last year in the Oval Office, President Clinton approved a plan to give free computers to poor Americans. He specifically called for US$2.38 billion in taxpayer money to finance 1000 community centers with computers serving the adults of America who, otherwise, would not have access to them. Major American corporations are giving away computer technology to the digital have-nots. American Airlines recently announced that it would hand a free computer to each of its 112,000 workers. It is true to Delta Airlines' 72000 staffers. Expanding Internet access in rural communities, President Clinton during fiscal year 2001 budget included $25 million program at the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture to accelerate private sector deployment of broadband networks in under-served urban and rural communities using grants and loan guarantees.

The problem of digital divide has also been considered seriously among the various ASEAN nations. The ASEAN economies have developed ASEAN vision 2020 to accelerate the development of science and technology including information technology by establishing a regional information technology network and centers of excellence for dissemination of and easy access to data and information. After this Hanoi Plan of Action was launched. Singapore Premier was the brainchild of ASEAN Information Infrastructure (AII). He proposes:
· To establish networks of science and technology centers of excellence and academic institutions by 2001.
· To intensify research and development (R&D) in applications of strategic and enabling technologies.
· Promote greater public and private sector collaboration in science and technology, particularly in IT.

At their submit in Manila in 1999, Leaders of ASEAN established the e-ASEAN Task force to focus on encouraging and facilitating the growth of e-commerce and include prescriptive measures to narrow the digital divide within the region. The Task force approved that (1) there is a lack of clarity of purpose and vision, (2) there are political, economic and technological disparities in the region and (3) funding constraints are to be resolved with the more support of the private sector.

The severe disparity in the use of IT exists in the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) thus widening the digital divide. In a recent 10th General Assembly of OIC Ministerial Conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, the issue was given a priority and OIC nations has seriously undertaken the phenomenon of digital divide and recommended certain measurements to bridge the digital divide. It is sad aspect that big digital gap exists among all OIC countries. Unfortunately, not much empirical evidences were gathered through primary research. There is indeed a strong need to gather data from the various segments of the society that how and how much of the Information Technology has been used by these various segments such as; business, academics and other professionals. This will further help in eliminating the regional and societal disparity among these users groups. In addition, there is strong urgency for the governments of the OIC s to develop a yardstick to monitor the progress for bridging the gap.

It is however true for Brunei Darussalam who is not only a member country for OIC but also hold a strong impact in ASEAN and APEC forums. Similar to other countries of South East Asia and of Pacific rim, the phenomenon of Digital Divide exists and were given due attention in the past during last APEC ministerial meetings and workgroups. However, very little has been researched in this area, besides some academic research that has addressed the prevailing problem of digital divides. There is, as a matter of fact, a strong needs to develop a closer relationship between public and private sector to minimize the gap to resolve the challenges in digital divide.

As pointed earlier, the development criss-cross is more pervasive in all developing nations and is more damaging than digital divide. The challenge of digital divide requires a comprehensive and multidimensional response. The response has to be led by state, government and other decision-making bodies that have vision, determination and resources. A short-term as well long-term nation-wide program to be framed out to reduce the gap otherwise all efforts to enhance and streamline the e-government, e-learning, e-commerce and e-payment projects will be neutralized due to prevailing digital divide.