World Telecommunication Day 1999 |
IHT October 9, 1999 |
In the early years of the next century, electronic
''highways'' in the form of high-speed copper and fiber optic connections will
take over from roads, rail and shipping as the global trade routes of the 21st
century. In this new era of on-line trading, the security and reliability of the
networks used to support electronic commercial transactions will be paramount.
Corporate users will need to be able to trust such systems to handle their core
business and financial operations with absolute dependability. Customers,
meanwhile, will need to feel as comfortable surfing the Web sites that serve as
virtual boutiques as they did browsing the storefront windows that have
characterized retail trade for most of this century. Finally, user confidence in
the security of digital payments and the privacy of personal or corporate
information needs to be at least as high as it is under the ''old-fashioned''
systems we have in place today.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
Dear Reader, Can you spot a winner?
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
Internet-based commerce is arguably the most
talked-about subject in the technology world, yet its long-term effects may be
more far-reaching than many caught in the heat of the moment - have yet
realized. The impact of electronic commerce goes far beyond the estimated $50
billion in revenues generated by sales on-line in 1998 - the figure includes
sales initiated on-line and completed off-line, which cannot be calculated
precisely. It also encompasses advertising (e.g., banners, sponsorships and
linkages), which accounts for 75 percent of on-line revenues today, and
subscriptions (like those for Internet service providers such as France Telecom
or America Online, or for privileged access to specific Web sites like The Wall
Street Journal).
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
When talk of electronic commerce first appeared, the
imminent demise of the shopping mall, superstore and other brick-and-mortar
retailers was envisaged. Thanks to the advent of ''multichannel'' or
''convergence'' retailing, the opposite seems to be happening.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
In September 1998, Dixons took a giant leap for a
British electrical goods retailer and launched Freeserve, the first ''free''
Internet access service in the world. After only three months, it had almost a
million subscribers and, a year later, has around 1.5 million users, despite a
high churn rate. There is no joining fee or monthly subscription to pay, but
customers must send a least one e-mail a month to keep their accounts open and
must pay the phone charges for accessing the Net.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
The next generation of wireless hardware aims to let
consumers easily access Internet-based information from wireless phones and
other devices. These third-generation products and services are already being
rolled out in some parts of the globe.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
Now that the Internet has more users than ever, on-line
retailers are looking beyond customer acquisition and retention to the area of
conversion the rate at which sites turn visitors into buyers.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
Of the roughly 75 million wireless phone users in the
United States, about 40 percent say that want data connections for their phones,
according to the Boston-based researchers Yankee Group. ''Look at Europe,'' says
Andrew Sukawaty, president of Sprint PCS, a U.S. mobile network operator.
''There's lots of data traffic. It's about 5 percent to 15 percent of total
wireless traffic.''
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
The locationless, borderless nature of cyberspace raises
important jurisdiction issues. Technologies and trends in cyberspace evolve
unpredictably and rapidly, while legislative and regulatory bodies move slowly.
Reality on the Internet outpaces attempts to define and apply legislation.
Whether increased regulation will hinder or spur electronic commerce is a
subject of debate. After eight months of meetings, the Global Business Dialogue
on Electronic Commerce, which includes the chief executives of some of the
world's top technology companies, recently urged governments to let the industry
regulate itself.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
The scramble for the riches promised by electronic
commerce is resulting in some of the most surprising alliances and partnerships
ever seen.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
The relatively simple process of purchasing products and
services on-line is predicted to account for about $18.2 billion worth of sales
in 1999 more than twice the 1998 figure. Even quicker home access from cable and
digital subscriber lines is expected to revolutionize the world of on-line
shopping in the near future.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
A short time ago, three professionals were talking about
how the Internet had changed their lives. The first, a Caribbean-born, ethnic
Chinese educator, talked about the information available on Web sites, about the
extensive use of e-mail to communicate with colleagues abroad and about the
collaborative projects developed by students to learn more about technology as
well as each other.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
With no multilingual phone calls or faxes required, no
written purchase orders, invoices or shipping notices to lose and the entire
process taking place on the Internet, business-to-business electronic commerce
has been a boon to companies. It eliminates extra charges for handling an order
over a special long-distance data network - a process that, until a few years
ago, would have been the only way to conduct business electronically .
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story
Telecom 99 in Geneva, Switzerland opens its doors to the
world's press today for a preview of what industry and government visitors will
be seeing from Oct. 10 to 17 - a glimpse into the future of telecommunications.
Oct. 9, 1999 The Full Story