Communications outlook 1999

The OECD Communications Outlook presents the most recent comparable data on the performance of the communications sector in OECD countries and on their policy frameworks. The 1999 edition examines the major changes and future trends in the telecommunications industry and explores developments in fast-moving areas such as the Internet, broadcasting and cable television. This industry now generates revenues of more than one trillion dollars, and its efficiency is increasingly fundamental to economic and social development in OECD countries today. The major players driving the industry are seeking new ways to respond to the challenges and opportunities, for example: - One in every five dollars spent on telecommunications now comes from mobile communication; - Internet traffic is now driving network construction and creating new patterns of communication via the World Wide Web; and - New entrants have now captured 19% of the total telecommunications market. Apart from an extensive range of indicators for the development of different communications networks and companies, the OECD Communications Outlook also compares revenues, investment, employment and prices for services throughout the OECD area. The communications policy agenda has also dynamically evolved over the last few years. The telecommunications sector is quickly expanding in OECD economies, gaining momentum from market liberalisation. Governments now need to implement communications policies in a more timely fashion to respond to the infrastructure needs of electronic commerce and the technological convergence of formerly distinct sectors. This book is based on data from the Telecommunications Database 1999 which provides time series of telecommunications and economic indicators, such as network dimensions, revenues, investment and employment for OECD countries from 1980 to 1997. For more information on major trends in information technology, globalisation and the impact on the way people live and work, look for the OECD's Information Technology Outlook, published every other year