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Applications vacant Pat Sweet finds that although the
infrastructure for e-communications is in place and developing rapidly,
doubts remain over what people will want it for. |
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Looking back over the past year at the world of e-communications, it is tempting to classify this market with a phrase familiar from the political world as all spin, no delivery. While there has been a great deal of activity, and a few notable successes, there is no doubt that the hype about the potential has far outweighed the reality of working applications in many areas. Getting back to basics, it is clear that internet usage is now a significant factor in both the commercial and domestic arena, and is likely to remain so for some time to come. Figures out from IDC show that the number of internet users in western Europe reached 117.4 million by the end of 2000; the figure is predicted to increase by 19% a year to hit 232.9 million by 2004. That means 30% of the population is currently online, and this proportion will double over the next four years. Moreover, IDC also predicts that users who go online will start spending online. It reckons that the number of buyers will increase by around 41% a year over a four year timeframe, so that 20.7% of the total population will be buying via the internet by 2004, compared to just 5.3% at the moment. |
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International Consultants' Guide July 2001
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E-Communications