Advanced communications and sustainable development - A view from the ACTSprogramme

Advanced communications technology and services (ACTS) provide the platform whereby the business, political, administrative and social communities com municate, organise and transact all of the important relationships and exch anges which form the socioecomonic life of our planet. The increasing conce rn with sustainability of physical, social and business resources as a basi s for continued development at a global scale identifies a number of concer ns which implicate advanced telecommunications technologies and services as a key determinant of sustainability 'best practice'. This paper attempts t o summarise the current sustainable-development debate and to position rece nt developments in the ACTS programme of CEC DG13 as exemplars of positive responses to need-both in, terms of demonstrations of current good practice and guidelines for future practice.