The objective of this book is to present a comprehensive evaluation of the smart revolution, including its social and economic impacts. It proposes a modern framework to help assess how recent information and communication technologies (ICTs) can contribute to societies as a whole. The authors offer a guide to how advanced network technologies have led to a greater variety of applications and social networking services. These allow people to connect with each other both at a more personal and global level, and will ultimately herald a new era of ICTs that will shape the 'digital society'. This essential resource will appeal to academics, government officials and practitioners in telecommunications and media. Contributors: H. Ahmad, E. Bohlin, T. Bunno, M. Cave, M. Ehrler, N. Freund, H. Fuke, T. Garin-Munoz, C. Gijon, K. Hatta, A. Henten, H. Idota, T. Jitsuzumi, N. Kasuga, M. Kimura, C. Kongaut, Y.-L. Liu, R. Lopez, M. Lundborg, G. Madden, H. Mitomo, K.-Y. Na, A. Nakamura, T. Otsuka, T. Perez-Amaral, E.O. Ruhle, N. Sakurai, M. Shishikura, M. Sugaya, R. Tadyoni, K. Takachi, M. Tsuji, C.-H. Yoon