In 1889 uniformed post boys were found moonlighting in a West End brothel frequented by men of the upper classes. "The Cleveland Street Scandal" erupted and Victorian Britain was gripped by the possibility that the Post Office - a bureaucratic backbone of nation and empire - was inspiring and servicing perverse passions. The alliance between transgressive sex and the Post Office that the scandal illuminated was neither incidental nor singular; there was something queer about the post in the nineteenth century. Postal Pleasures tells the story of queer postal relations, from Post Office reforms initiated in 1840 up to the imperial end of the nineteenth century. It tells this story by analysing literature that expresses the cultural consequences of this peculiar kind of "going postal." Victorian writers abandoned the epistolary novel in favour of postal fiction. The postal network, its uniformed employees and its material trappings - envelopes, postmarks, stamps - were used to signal and circulate sexual intrigue. For Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, Eliza Lynn Lynton, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Edward Carpenter, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker and others, the idea of an envelope promiscuously jostling its neighbours in a post boy's bag, or the notion that secrets passed through the eyes and fingers of telegraph girls, was more stimulating that the actual contents of correspondence. By the period's end, the postal system had become both an instrument and a metaphor for sexual relations that crossed and double-crossed lines of class, marriage and heterosexuality.

There are many data communications titles covering design, installation, etc, but almost none that specifically focus on industrial networks, which are an essential part of the day-to-day work of industrial control systems engineers, and the main focus of an increasingly large group of network specialists.
The focus of this book makes it uniquely relevant to control engineers and network designers working in this area. The industrial application of networking is explored in terms of design, installation and troubleshooting, building the skills required to identify, prevent and fix common industrial data communications problems - both at the design stage and in the maintenance phase.
The focus of this book is 'outside the box'. The emphasis goes beyond typical communications issues and theory to provide the necessary toolkit of knowledge to solve industrial communications problems covering RS-232, RS-485, Modbus, Fieldbus, DeviceNet, Ethernet and TCP/IP. The idea of the book is that in reading it you should be able to walk onto your plant, or facility, and troubleshoot and fix communications problems as quickly as possible. This book is the only title that addresses the nuts-and-bolts issues involved in design, installation and troubleshooting that are the day-to-day concern of engineers and network specialists working in industry.
* Provides a unique focus on the industrial application of data networks
* Emphasis goes beyond typical communications issues and theory to provide the necessary toolkit of knowledge to solve industrial communications problems
* Provides the tools to allow engineers in various plants or facilities to troubleshoot and fix communications problems as quickly as possible

Western and Central Europe contains both strong established and new, emerging markets for US and European mobile communications companies. This book is a comprehensive analysis of the current status and future integration prospects in these markets, with clear, in-depth explanations of standards, regulations and technology. Markets are identified and compared, showing where future growth will happen and when.

Broadband technology is ushering the telecom industry through a unique period of change with profound business implications for suppliers and users. This single source describes the four major broadband technologies that are shaping telecommunications networks: frame relay; optical fiber (including SONET); distributed queue dual bus (DQDB); and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM).

Combines four approaches to the subject: the reporting of newsworthy developments, the analysis of these developments, the synthesis of decisions and events occurring over widely dispersed areas, and the author's judgment and opinion about the significance of these events. Chapters discuss the indus

This work describes all aspects of service provision, from the definition of customer need to the day-to-day techniques of managing customer satisfaction. It includes guidelines for negotiating a service level agreement, methods for understanding the customer's requirements, and the identification of key issues associated with help-desks and customer assistance centres. The book is intended for IT and telecommunications managers, service suppliers, system architects, designers and help-desk staff in businesses using networks and communications services to achieve high level services.

"Ninety-nine percent of Filipinos are waiting for a telephone and the other one percent for a dial tone." - Lee Kuan Yew, November 1992. A decade after the above quote, far reaching reforms in the telecommunications sector has dramatically changed the situation in both the Philippines and Malaysia. By looking at the institutions and actors that drove these changes, this book examines state capacity, market reform, and rent-seeking in the two countries. In doing so, the study challenges conventional depictions of the Malaysian and Philippine states. It contends that despite the weakness of the Philippine state, reform occurred through a coalition that out-manoeuvred vested interests. In Malaysia, although considered a strong state, patronage and rent-seeking played key roles in policy adoption and implementation. The study also demonstrates how the nature of groups supporting reform shapes policy implementation and its outcomes. Finally, while liberalisation removes monopoly rent, this book shows that it can also create other types of rents.

Since the breakup of AT&T in the early 1980s, many scholars and others have argued that telecommunications regulatory policy, especially at the state level, must change dramatically to fit new market conditions. To others, particularly state regulators, lawmakers, and smaller competitors, the proper response is one of slow, incremental change in regulatory policy. This volume explores these issues by using a unique multidisciplinary lens to focus on the problems of market power and cost allocation in long distance telecommunications markets. The contributors approach the subject from the traditional perspectives of economics and law but also incorporate developments in newer disciplines such as operations research, decision theory, policy analysis, and corporate strategy. Each section includes a series of main papers as well as critical reviews by scholars using methodologies from other disciplines. The result is an unusually comprehensive treatment of the complex regulatory issues facing the telecommunications industry today. The volume is divided into two primary sections which deal with market power and cost allocation in turn. The first part opens with a paper which examines market power from the perspective of legal analytics. Two economists then employ the methodologies of antitrust law and economics to survey the approaches of various states to the problem of identifying telecommunications market power. The third main paper in this section analyzes the market power concept from the particular economic perspective of contestable market theory. Turning to cost allocation issues, the contributors argue for the applicability to long distance markets of a new cost allocation methodology developed by NRRI for local exchange service. The topic is then approached by using a series of regulatory fables in which various possible incentive schemes are used to induce supposedly efficient behavior, with cost allocation as a resulting side issue. Each main paper is followed by one or more critical discussant papers. Finally, contributor Alfred Kahn draws on his long experience as a scholar and regulator to examine the current problems of telecommunications regulation in their historical context and to make some predictions about the future course of regulation in the industry. An important contribution to the business literature, this volume is a must acquisition for any library dealing with the telecommunication industry.

Because the wireless industry is less capital intensive than others sectors in the telecommunications marketplace, it is expected to enjoy continued profitability. With survival at stake, telecommunications companies must ready themselves for battle to win access and operations rights in the wireless communications spectrum. This book maps out the strategies required to fight this battle by explaining how a telecommunications company should structure its entry and operations in the spectrum.

Based on a policy-making theoretical framework and on the recent experiences of 10 developing countries, this study explores the factors that lead to the success or failure of telecommunications reform. It provides universal conclusions that might help predict the success or failure of telecommunications policies, such as, privatization and liberalization, in other nations that are moving towards reform. This book is an original contribution to our understanding of the rapid and often complex transformations in telecommunications policies. It defies previous assumptions about conditions for success and failure of policy implementation. Although numerous publications deal with telecommunications policy reform in Europe or the United States, little has been written about it in the developing world. This book fills the gap and will be invaluable for academics, policy makers, and others concerned with communications, economic development, and international business.

Essays, based on five years of survey research in Iowa and case study examples from across the United States, examine the implications of telecommunications technologies for rural community development. Supported by data from five years of survey and case study research, telecommunications adoption and use is explored in nine sectors of the rural community to determine the influence these organizations and institutions have on telecommunications development within the broader rural community. These sectors include local government, economic development, business, newspapers, library services, health care, university extension to communities, and farming. Also considered are the factors that promote and retard telecommunications development, particularly the impact of telecommunications policy, the availability of state-of-the-art infrastructure and service, and the involvement of telephone companies in local community development. Using a community development framework, this work discusses the physical, financial, human and social capitals necessary for holistic community development and the significance of critical mass, the roles of internal and external networks, as well as vertical and horizontal linkages, and the importance of visionary leadership and the championing of telecommunications.

Social Science and telecommunications scholars will appreciate the interdisciplinary approach these case studies represent. In addition, this research is intended to assist local leaders, community service providers, businesses, community officials, and state policy makers in capturing the potential benefits of innovative telecommunications technologies for local economic development, while avoiding potential problems and pitfalls. Essays are organized in three sections. The first presents theory, policy, and issues within a community development framework. The second discusses perspectives and actions of community sectors in their adoption and use of telecommunications. The third examines what occurs within an organization as it implements a new telecommunications system. Charts and graphs enhance the text and a glossary of terms is provided.

Cellular Telephones and Pagers is an overview of the basics of mobile telephone and paging technology and related issues. It is written for the interested layman as well as the professional looking for basic information.
The first half of the book deals mainly with the technology: operation, transmission, special-case services, and troubleshooting. The second half covers the related issues that surround the cellular industry, such as security, regulations, international markets, and future developments. The combination makes this a valuable tool for business people who want an overview of cellular systems, or for technical professionals who need to update their knowledge.
Steve Gibson is the author of several books in the telecommunications field. He makes his home in Reston, VA.
Easy-to-read, light technical approach to cellular technology.
Includes coverage of economic, regulatory, and international issues.
New advances in security and mobile communications.

Telecommunications Regulation examines the background to regulation and the work of the regulator. It discusses typical regulatory rules and the legal and administrative framework for regulation, and looks at regulatory strategies, market structures and approaches to price control. The book includes a number of case studies which show how regulators engage with such topical issues as interconnection and loop unbundling, and also features technical coverage of both numbering and number portability. Finally, it looks at new products and services such as virtual network operators, intelligent networks, radio spectrum and next generation networks, and considers the impact these might have on the future of regulation. A comprehensive, in-depth guide to the subject, this book will be a valuable resource for engineers and managers in the industry, as well as lawyers and economists needing an insight into current telecommunications regulation.

This book examines and compares policy making in telecommunications in Britain and France over the last three decades. The book examines questions related to liberalization, regulation and the role of the nation state in an increasingly international economy.

After pioneering this technology and growing the market, COMSAT fell prey to changes in government policy and to its own lack of entrepreneurial talent. The author explores the factors which contributed to this rise and fall of COMSAT.

This book is a systematic comparative study of WTO and EU law relevant for universal service provision, and a timely contribution to the ongoing scholarly and policy debates about the concept and scope of universal service. Universal service is one of the most significant regulatory issues worldwide and it is likely to remain so. The central question dealt with by the author is how the technologically intensive sector of telecommunications services can be regulated in a socially fair way in the light of liberalisation and the immense importance of ICTs in the Information Society. The author investigates whether the legal frameworks of WTO and EU can meet the challenges of the rapid and dramatic technological and social change and formulates relevant policy recommendations. The book is of interest to both scholars and practitioners in several disciplines, such as EU and WTO law, telecommunications law and regulation, political science regarding market regulation and governance as well as European integration and WTO. Olga Batura is affiliated to the Leuphana Law School, University of Luneburg, Germany, and to the European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithania.

This superb introduction examines all aspects of implementation from concept to reality, and spells out the pros, cons, and effects of EDI in your organization. The cost of EDI hardware, software, training, transmission, and maintenance are broken down and clearly explained to prevent problems and maximize benefits. Checklists and procedural guidelines are also offered to ease your EDI transition -- so that you're never left with a system you can't put online quickly and efficiently.

Regulatory change has come to characterize global telecommunications in the 1990s. In this timely book, contributors of recognized distinction and knowledge provide a range of perspectives and discuss a variety of approaches to telecommunications issues, providing broad coverage of telecommunications regulatory policies. In its analysis of public policies for deregulating telecommunications services, the work emphasizes the business strategy implications entailed by each public policy. The volume argues that globalization and interdependence are forcing governments to adjust their policies; that technology often eclipses voluntary government policies; and that all multinational corporations, through their investment strategies and R&D efforts, are important actors in regulatory policy, as are national and international agencies.

The economic analysis of the digital economy has been a rapidly developing research area for more than a decade. Through authoritative examination by leading scholars, this Handbook takes a closer look at particular industries, business practices, and policy issues associated with the digital industry. The volume offers an up-to-date account of key topics, discusses open questions, and provides guidance for future research. It offers a blend of theoretical and empirical works that are central to understanding the digital economy. The chapters are presented in four sections, corresponding with four broad themes: 1) infrastructure, standards, and platforms; 2) the transformation of selling, encompassing both the transformation of traditional selling and new, widespread application of tools such as auctions; 3) user-generated content; and 4) threats in the new digital environment. The first section covers infrastructure, standards, and various platform industries that rely heavily on recent developments in electronic data storage and transmission, including software, video games, payment systems, mobile telecommunications, and B2B commerce. The second section takes account of the reduced costs of online retailing that threatens offline retailers, widespread availability of information as it affects pricing and advertising, digital technology as it allows the widespread employment of novel price and non-price strategies (bundling, price discrimination), and auctions, as well as better tar. The third section addresses the emergent phenomenon of user-generated content on the Internet, including the functioning of social networks and open source. Finally, the fourth section discusses threats arising from digitization and the Internet, namely digital piracy, privacy and internet security concerns.

Recent work in the field of telecommunication economics, with particluar emphasis on its international regulatory aspects, is the focus of the present volume, which assembles an annotated bibliography of nearly four hundred authoritative and up-to-date books and articles on more than fifteen related topics.

Delivers a conceptual overview of call centres - the products that support them, the designs that make them work and the ongoing management that is required for their successful operation.