This chapter is mainly concerned with the modes of use of Internet connections in Iraq. Some people choose to access the Internet from Internet cafes, some from home, some from work, and other from a combination of modes. There are several determinants of Internet use in Iraq, namely, age, education,
employment, utilization, and location. Through use of the multinomial probit function in statistics, these variables will be analyzed in order to more appropriately determine their numerical values and relevancy.
Internet access is a way clients of Internet information and services and an Internet service provider (ISP) communicate. Examples of communication technologies that provide Internet access include the public switched telecommunications network include (PSTN), cable TV networks, and satellite systems, and so forth.
The Internet has diffused quickly and widely but its spread has been very unbalanced within various regions and countries. The digital divide tends to become wider as DiMaggio et. al. (2001) define the digital divide with regards to inequalities in access to the Internet, extent of use, knowledge of search strategies, quality of technical connections and social support, ability to evaluate the quality of information, and variety of uses. Very little research in information systems has investigated the aspect of consumer choice of technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing consumer choice of Internet access option in Iraq.
By drawing from theories of technology adoption, 17 factors were identified. Some factors are grouped into categories. For example, the age factor was divided into three groups, namely, “age1, age2 and age3” (depending on the respondents’ ages). Education, the second factor, was divided into four groups “edu1, edu2, edu3 and edu4,” according to peoples’ levels of education.