Cyber-Island ParadiseCyber-Island Paradise

On the small Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, where generations have labored in textile mills and sugar-cane fields, prospects are improving. The African nation, population 1.2 million, has tapped into an undersea fiber-optic cable running from Europe to the high-tech region of southern India, promising the island's youth careers in IT.

Bandwidth on Mauritius has increased 40,000%, and plans are to wire every home to the Net by 2009. Organizations aiding the effort include the World Bank, which is loaning the island $40 million to wire classrooms, and MIT, which is providing online courses.