The battle is likely to be between cable television operators and traditional telephone companies. 1998 will represent the start of the process. Until the PNO's can adapt commercially to the new competitive market place they will put informal roadblocks in the way of liberalisation. Of course these big predictions do not always work out and the success stories in telecommunications in the last thirty years have been facsimile and mobile and not ISDN and Videotex as the pundits predicted. There is an important and strong motivator.
Entertainment is a huge market with as many potential customers as there are telephone users.
This is however a very far cry from the 'techno enthusiastic' market which appears to be a focus of the current Internet. If the technology can be delivered, and the price of PNO services drops to cost based levels then Europe could see the development of a real Superhighway. The research networks are about to trial this technology. It will be apparent in two to three years whether it will fulfil its promise. Conclusion Technology developments in telecommunications are creating the building blocks for the Information superhighway.