Telecommunications

The telecommunications blueprint for a single Europe after 1992 is examined. This `green paper' is an ambitious three-year-old document in which the European Community's Commission calls for a Western-Europe-wide telecommunications infrastructure based on the integrated-services digital network (ISDN) and other digital communication links. The progress that has been made toward this goal is assessed, showing that progress toward opening national markets and establishing an infrastructure varies greatly from country to country. The highly variable quality of network services throughout Europe presents a further obstacle to unification. Nevertheless, the national segments of a trans-European ISDN system are beginning to emerge, and work on the specific technologies, standards, and regulations for cross-border telecommunications systems are advancing