The outlook for communication

Social, economic, and technical/technological considerations are treated in an overall survey of the topic of communications, with separate discussions of broadcast radio, TV (broadcast, UHF, cable), telephony, mobile telephony, maritime communications (including Comsat service), videophony, optical fibers, domestic satellites, data communication, and computer data networks. The cost, complexity, size, and power requirements of data terminals are singled out as the most crucial problem. Teletypewriter, CRT display, and other types of data terminals are compared, and reasons for the limitation of data terminal use to high-volume services (airline reservations, credit-card verification, purchase checkout, automatic inventory control and updating) are probed. Computer timesharing, digital data systems, and the impact of LSI and minicomputers are discussed in relation to data networks. Social and psychological drawbacks of video telephony are mentioned.