Wireless networks using radio waves to link computers are rapidly spreading to regional areas without easy access to the latest broadband services.
This image taken from a Web site run by the village of Agawa, Kochi Prefecture, shows elderly citizens learning to use personal computers.Wireless networks are attractive because of their cheap hardware and maintenance costs. They are expected to help break down the "digital divide" -- the gap between those with access to information technology and those without.
"We thought it's the means we have wanted for a long time for a village like us without a sufficient budget," said Toshimitsu Ono, an official of the general affairs section at the village office of Agawa, Kochi Prefecture.