Nowadays, the Internet has become an irreplaceable tool, feeding us information about new innovations and the evolution of the markets relating to all human activities. What the Internet lacks, though, is a guiding narrative thread, which is crucial to understand the evolution from old technologies into the technologies available today, and to benefit from the commentary which could elucidate that process of evolution. In spite of its inherent richness, no encyclopedia can constitute the one and only referential information source. The actors involved also have the right to be heard: all those who have devoted their working lives to the collective effort of edifying networks can, of course, present their personal views about the evolution of the world of telecommunications, and thus provide invaluable testimony to companies in this area who can make use of it. It is that approach which is adopted in this book. Whilst the primary objective of this book is to encourage SMEs to use digital technologies, and help them to organize with that goal in mind, it has proved necessary to describe the transformations currently under way in the field of networks, and to outline the efforts to obtain a competitive edge in terms of clerical applications, compare the various techniques that are available for high data rate communications, and touch upon the advent of the "Internet of Things", cloud computing and various new multimedia technologies. All in all, this book should help companies - particularly SMEs - to garner overall information about the current movement in the area of networking, and assist them in putting in place and managing their own communications systems.

In an increasingly interconnected world, "Communication Networks Economy" provides the rational understanding necessary to provide universal access to communication means in an efficient way. This book presents the principal elements of the economics of a network as it stands today, taking into account experiences of technicians in the field. The author gives a simplified picture of the current situation in terms of structures and architecture of a network, bearing in mind the necessary quality of service and the profitability of investments, accompanied by references to recent economic works. An overview is given on the general themes of regulation and tariff principles, and the relations between supply and demand, from the perspectives of professional and residential users and network operators. Different aspects of the present situations of networks and the incidence of the Internet on the economy are also presented. In conclusion, the reader will obtain an overview of the most significant issues likely to influence the economics of communications networks as they are today.