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Diffusion of many successful communication technologies, like telephony and television technology, follows an almost perfect S‐shaped curve. This curve implies that, after their introduction, subsequent sales of products on the basis of these technologies can be predicted accurately. However, the diffusion of other breakthroughs in communication technologies, like interactive television, videotelephony or broadband mobile communication technology, shows a more erratic pattern. Introduction of these technologies is often postponed or, once introduced, they are quickly withdrawn from the market after the first disappointing results. Rather than distinguishing alternative patterns, this article shows that the S‐shaped curve and the more erratic patterns represent subsequent phases in one pattern of development and diffusion of breakthrough communication technologies. Three phases are distinguished in this pattern. Managerial implications of the differences between these phases are discussed. the paper shows that a company trying to introduce a new communication technology has to adopt different strategies in each phase.

Providing access to information for all users, irrespective of their physical disabilities, is a requirement for all libraries and ICT can be used to assist this. The case study describes a range of projects and services that have been developed by Gateshead Libraries using ICT to enable disabled people gain access to information. These projects range from AIRS (which started with the production of a talking newspaper in 1987), to MISSISSIPPI (which uses videotelephony for sign language communication for deaf people) to the Web accessibility guidelines used for the Gateshead Grid for Learning.

Discusses the telecommunications infrastructure of the USA and issues surrounding its restructuring. Describes the role and impact of broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) in applications development and the societal implications of this change. Points out that global development of broadband technologies makes personal access to multimedia applications possible and promotes new information‐sharing partnerships. Argues for an holistic, ethical approach to future development of ISDN.

Our purpose is to examine the outcomes of using video as a reflection tool in peer-to-peer coaching with rural teachers as part of a literacy coaching professional development project.

This qualitative case study presents findings from a professional development project serving rural educators interested in becoming literacy coaches. Using a peer coaching model, literacy coaching participants video recorded two literacy coaching cycles capturing pre-conferencing, lesson modeling, and post-conferencing. Reflection was facilitated through face-to-face discussion and online technologies (discussion forums and e-mail).

Face-to-face sessions were integral in fostering participant reflection. Technology challenges impacted the extent to which participants engaged in and valued video as a reflection tool. Participants repurposed video reflection for self-identified professional and pedagogical purposes.

Video reflection can be used as a part of multimodal set of tools to collaborate with teachers. Face-to-face interaction is important in supporting rural teachers’ use of video reflection. Teacher educators generally need more on-site authentic involvement to gain emic perspectives when working with the rural sites in order for the video tasks to be more effective and meaningful for the teachers. Repurposing video reflection can be an expression of agency in meeting teacher needs.

In many settings, the users are mobile (e.g. away from their desks) while high quality multimedia telephony equipment has fixed locations. This may result in unsuccessful multimedia calls and motivates a context aware system which supports session mobility. This paper aims to address these issues.

The approach is to utilize state‐of‐the‐art in‐context awareness and integrate this into a real time telecom system based on SIP. System requirements are formulated and the system is designed, implemented and (technically) tested.

The paper contains a thorough analysis of why baseline SIP and SIP REFER alone cannot solve our case and why a new SIP extension is introduced. The solution is evaluated and compared to solutions such as “virtual terminals”.

It is pointed out that the context model does not directly support roaming between two different business domains. This issue is however of limited impact in an enterprise setting. The current prototype is thoroughly tested from a technical viewpoint, but user studies in real organizations are recommended as further work.

The paper shows that human issues and issues relating to computer mediated communication (CMC) are strongly linked to technical details in SIP. In practice this means that researchers in CMC and CSCW should look more into building prototypes where real time conversational features are supported together with dynamic change of media types.

The main value of the paper is a thorough described technical realization of the context aware multimedia application ENriched MEdia (ENME). The background material and the appendix should be of value to anyone interested in convergence between computing and communication.

Commentators in the library and information profession habitually voice concern about the perceived lack of a coherent and integrated set of ‘national information policies’ in the UK. These concerns are worthy but ultimately misplaced. The real problem is not our inability to come up with a nice neat package of the ‘right policies’, but our failure to think critically about the value systems that shape our perception of information policy problems in the first place. This article contributes to this new agenda by developing a concept mapping of the Field of information policy, based on term co‐occurrence data. This leads to a broader discussion about the values — rather than the specific laws and regulations — that underpin our conceptions of information policy.

This paper aims to examine the design and implementation of an advanced ToIP platform for the interconnection of ToIP operators based on the concept of multilateral peering, with a special focus on the design requirements and implementation.

Based on the key design requirements of a ToIP peering platform analysed at the beginning of the document, an open source‐based network architecture is proposed. Subsequently, a detailed explanation of the elements and their functionalities that integrate both core platform and management platform is presented.

The paper finds that open source‐based ToIP platforms provide a cheap solution for deploying ToIP services such as ToIP peering. Although not as stable as hardware‐based ToIP platforms, software‐based platforms provide a very scalable high‐performance solution for delivering customised ToIP services.

The paper studies the implementation of advanced VoIP services such as video telephony and the call termination in public switched telephony network or mobile networks.

The deployment of an experimental ToIP peering platform in Catalonian will help to the large‐scale adoption of ToIP by both enterprise and residential customers. Furthermore, operators can reduce both capital and operating expenditures if they exchange traffic through the ToIP peering platform, reducing, thus, the cost of ToIP calls to end users.

More of Professor Gary Hamel's thought‐provoking analysis appears in his long‐awaited book written with Professor C. K. Prahalad, Competing for the Future: Breakthrough Strategies for Seizing Control of Your Industry and Creating the Markets of Tomorrow (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1994). Our diligent conference reporter, Bernard C. Reimann, Professor of Management at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, is the author of Managing for Value: A Guide for Value Based Strategic Management, published by Basil Blackwell and The Planning Forum.

This article is based on a research project, code named “FACE”, carried out in the Library at the University of the West of England during 1998 and 1999. It raises issues regarding accessibility of learning and teaching resources, advice and support for disabled students and staff. Development of the Library’s resources in response to student surveys and reference to other literature in the field is recounted. Whilst the project focussed on a selection of technologies to aid “accessibility” it is noted that the most important feature in provision of accessible learning materials and support is strong institutional commitment and a good human infrastructure. The article concludes with a series of recommendations which can be more broadly applied in other organisations.