Private Networks Public Objectives

The aim of this volume is to: model and explain the reason for various networking arrangements - public, private, hybrid, group, intra-organizational, virtual etc.; project the evolution of the telecommunications network into a pluralistic federation of subnetworks; analyze the economics of private networks, and the technological options and network configurations available to providers both of public and private capacity; examine the policy implications of use-privatization for social objectives traditionally incorporated in public networks, such as technical compatibility; universal service; common carriage; privacy; consumer protection; service quality; urban/rural service similarity; and ability to fashion national and international policies. Through its various contributors, this volume addresses the future of telecommunications and information systems, and the maintenance of traditional public objectives within the emerging network of networks.