Abstract: | The major trend affecting worldwide economic development is the growing level of information-intensive activities throughout all sectors of increasingly global markets. This paper analyses the crucial role of telecommunications in a nation's productive processes. It examines the salient market force of services in virtually all sectors of national economies, describes how VANs enhance the quality and utility of basic communications channels, and analyses future network growth as a country's economy and society become increasingly computerized. The author discusses the importance of competition and recommends that restrictive regulatory regimes should respond to dynamic technological change. |