<i> A look at noteworthy addresses in the Southland.</i>
Bert C. Roberts Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of MCI Communications Corp., spoke at the Los Angeles Hilton on Dec. 2. His remarks were sponsored by Town Hall of California. From his address:
On the Multimedia Revolution and the Information Highway
“We are on the brink of a multimedia revolution--a revolution that will deliver much more than a world filled with jazzy devices and 500 cable channels. The way we work, play and live will be transformed by an explosion of information services, transmitted and delivered instantly, by networks all interconnecting to a global, seamless and feature-rich ‘network of networks.’
“Multimedia is the next evolutionary step in a communications revolution that began a decade ago with the divestiture of AT & T and the advent of effective competition in the long distance industry.
“The momentum continues as competition drives the industry to build and refine fiber-optic networks and install the very latest technologies. . . . Today’s networks are the backbone of tomorrow’s information highway.
“Unfortunately, the missing link in this network equation is local distribution. Local telephone companies have yet to install the necessary network upgrades, the ‘digital driveways,’ to homes and businesses.
“Even with the digital driveways and highways in place, multimedia will succeed only if it addresses consumer demand. . . . It’s all too easy to get carried away by the excitement and glamour of big mergers and in the process forget to ask: ‘Do customers care?’ Today, nobody knows if customers want 500-channel cable.”
On the Global “Network of Networks”
“I believe that the network will be the central component of the multimedia era. It will carry services that include everything from home shopping, to video on demand, to electronic mail and messaging, to ultra-high-speed information transfer. And it will connect to any device. Intelligent networks will be the unifying link that both serves information providers and delivers content to users.
“In five to 10 years, there will be competitive communications services that stretch seamlessly across geographic borders. The result will be a global ‘network of networks,’ one that is immensely powerful and feature-rich, a reality that will have great significance for American businesses. Some carriers are already in the process of building this network of networks. . . .
“The multimedia world is about to present you with a host of opportunities. Bear in mind that opportunity used to knock. In the multimedia future, it will call. When it does, be sure to answer your television, or your PC or your videophone. Whatever device you want. The network will be there, delivering--and even shaping--the world of tomorrow.”
Looking Ahead
* Tuesday: C. Kumar Patel, UCLA vice chancellor, will discuss challenges facing U.S. research universities at the James West Alumni Center, UCLA, 7:30 p.m. His remarks will be sponsored by the UCLA Alumni Assn., (310) 206-0622.
