A crucial link in post-Soviet economic reconstruction will be telecommunications, which all modern economies must have in order to thrive. How ready are the telecommunications systems in the countries of the former USSR to meet the challenge? This book shows that the system inherited from the Soviet period falls far short of what is needed and describes the many changes in policies and institutional structures that will have to be made if the system is to be modernized and expanded.

Robert Campbell briefly outlines the origins and development of Soviet telecommunications, assessing its organizational and technological capacities as well as its potential for further growth. He critically examines the effects that specific policies have had and explores the ways in which the structures of the old Soviet economy and telecommunications system continue to shape the current development of industries and markets.

Campbell provides an informative analysis of the progress made so far toward the goals of a healthy telecommunications system and a modern, market-oriented economy.