Spread of internet has not conquered 'digital divide' between rich and poor – report

Study by World Bank praises potential of technology to transform lives, but warns of risk of creating a 'new underclass' of the disconnected

The rapid spread of the internet and mobile phones around the globe has failed to deliver the expected boost to jobs and growth, the World Bank has revealed in a report that highlights a growing digital divide between rich and poor.

The Bank said no other technology has reached more people in so short a time as the internet, but warned that the development potential of technological change had yet to be reaped.