popular
medium of accessing the Internet and e-mail, especially among
those who may not have affordable access to a computer. The lower
startup costs and the easier overall accessibility of mobile phones
relative to personal computers suggest that the mobile phone may
be a possible alternative for overcoming unequal access to information
communication technology in Japan and elsewhere. Using
microdata from 2001, we compare and contrast the determinants
of mobile versus computer-based Internet in Japan. Our findings
show that mobile Internet access, as compared to computer access,
is determined less by demographics, socioeconomic status,
and technological readiness, suggesting that barriers to Internet
access are lower for mobile phones than is the case for computers.