Introduction

Abstract

Telecommunications is big business. The total information services market in the European Union (EU) is worth over ECU500bn, of which one-third is accounted for by telecommunications services and equipment (CEC, 1994k, p. ii). Increasingly, discussion in the media in the field of telecommunications centres around the idea of ‘travelling the information superhighway (or infobahn)’. In essence, this means that businesses and households in possession of the kinds of equipment such as televisions, telephones, computers and modems (see glossary) that are already in common usage (though they may need to be upgraded and supplemented by the odd ‘black box’), will be able to access vast amounts of information in an interactive manner.

The information society is on its way. A ‘digital revolution’ is triggering structural changes comparable to last century’s industrial revolution with the corresponding high economic stakes. The process cannot be stopped and will lead eventually to a knowledgebased economy.

(Commission of the European Communities (CEC), 1994b, p.lb)