Abstract
Within the literature concerning microelectronics and the developing countries (DCs) little attention has been paid to the information technology (IT) industry itself. This is a serious oversight as it is precisely these industries- telecommunications (TCs), informatics and telematics1, that have experienced the most profound technological and industrial upheavals as a result of the diffusion of micro- electronic technology. All leading telecommunications manufacturers have moved from electromechanical to electronic, digital technology and almost all computer and informatics products are digital. With the general adoption of automated data processing and digital TCs in the advanced economies IT is becoming vital to many economic and social activities, ranging from manufacturing to government ad- ministration, transport, commerce and communications. In these areas DCs are currently being forced to confront the challenges posed by the rapidly changing technology. Policy measures are vital not only to prevent a widening of the technology gap, but also to capture the advantages offered by the new technologies. While there may be a breathing space in reacting to digital diffusion in the field of industrial application, in most areas of IT there is none.
DOI
10.1080/02681102.1986.9627058
Recommended Citation
Hobday, M.
(1986).
Telecommunications—A "Leading Edge" in the Accumulation of Digital Technology? Evidence from the Case of Brazil.
Information Technology for Development, 1(1), 23-43.
DOI: 10.1080/02681102.1986.9627058
Available at:
https://aisel.aisnet.org/itd/vol1/iss1/6