Distance is dead: the world will change

BMJ 1996;313:1572 (21 December)

Editorials

Distance is dead: the world will change

The exponential fall in telecommunication costs will transformour world, probably for the better

In 1930 a three minute telephone call from London to New Yorkcost about $250 at 1990 prices.¹ Now it costs $2. By the year2005 it may cost 10 cents.² In effect, it will be free. Thisdramatic fall in the price of telecommunication will, predictsthe World Bank, have the most profound effect on our individuallives and the world economy.² Many of us will work from home.Offices will shrink or disappear. We will shop worldwide withoutmoving from our homes. Transport will become less important;pollution and accidents will fall. In the developed world wemay redisperse from cities to the country, while people in thedeveloping world may not have to migrate to cities to find higherpaid jobs. Most importantly, jobs will migrate from the developedto the developing world. . . . [Full text of this article]