The Economist of September 30-October 6 has a long survey of global telecommunications, excellently researched and written:
The death of distance as a determinant of the cost of communications will probably be the single most important economic force shaping society in the first half of the next century. It will alter, in ways that are only dimly imaginable, decisions about where people live and work; concepts of national borders; patterns of international trade. Its effects will be as pervasive as those of the discovery of electricity.
Sounds like an extract from the first chapter of my recent book: "Protection and Security on the Information Superhighway" -- -> See: Info-Sec Heaven at URL http://all.net Management Analytics - 216-686-0090 - PO Box 1480, Hudson, OH 44236