This structure has been disturbed since the beginning of the 1980s, under the effect of liberalization in the communications market. New communications enterprises, major users and manufacturers of communication systems are now actively joining the market where common carriers were the only players. The menu expansion actually takes the following forms. Unbundling is taking place in communications services. Terminals were opened first, then interfaces between the terminal and the transmission line, then transmission lines, and finally to the network as a whole, or firstly value-added services, and then fundamental services.
New participants add values to the portions left open for resale or for their own use.
This urges diversification of technologies for these portions, sophistication of terminals, tendency toward multifarious user interface, building of value-added networks, and development of bypass technologies, which in turn cause further diversification of technical standards. It should particularly be noted here that those who are interested in, and implementing, this technological diversification or specialization of standards are major enterprises and major Users. They have technical capabilities sufficient to make full use of communication technologies and financial power sufficient to build communication facilities. Private networks thus built display satisfactory performance and profitability. Now, a few considerations are made on intellectual property.