The ".it" Domain Market: Determinants of Digital Divide in Italy

The study reported in this paper is addressed to the identification of factors contributing to the differences about Internet use (digital divide) in Italy in recent years. In Italy, the registration of a new Internet domain name is usually made through a service company (Registrar) accredited by the National Registry, where all data related to such registration are managed. In order to analyze the diffusion of the Internet in Italy, the number of Registrars and the number of registered domains were used as indicators.To define the factors that determine the digital divide the regression multiple model was utilized, based on the stepwise method. The dependent variable taken into consideration was the penetration rate at the regional level and the independent variables were regional economic, cultural, demographic and technological factors.This research showed that few regions are specialized in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services provision, compared to the national average. Above all the regions with a low unemployment rate and with high economic values, such as added value per employee and high per capita income, are more inclined to use the network.Furthermore, the level of education resulted a decisive factor: as a matter of fact, regions with a high number of graduates, specialized in ICT fields, are more inclined to utilize the Internet technology than those that register a number of ICT graduates below the average.