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After several years of depressed revenues, the telecommunications industry is poised to recover in 2005, experts say. Rebounding from the historic lows of the past several years, the equipment manufacturing sector can expect robust growth while gains for services will remain modest. But storm clouds loom on the horizon as emerging technologies such as broadband and voice over Internet protocol threaten to radically change traditional service carrier arrangements.

Shrinking military budgets and stagnating sales are placing pressure on European defense firms to survive by merging. Companies seeking to do business on the Continent must be especially enterprising to find opportunities in this tight market.

Ken Dahlberg sometimes likens his burgeoning high-technology business to a high-speed ride at a Disney theme park. No, he is not being sarcastic-far from it. In just six years, Dahlberg's information systems and technology (IS&T) group at General Dynamics has become one of the largest and most respected outfits selling technology services to the nation's defense and civilian agencies.

The rapid evolution of the Internet and other telecommunications networks has begun to eliminate national boundaries and geographic separation among countries. Scientific methods used to study international information flows and resulting globalization indicate a correlation between the flows and major political and economic changes over time.

A multimillion-dollar U.S. Air Force project that streamlines financial information sharing processes is coming to fruition using an approach that facilitates responsiveness to requirements changes and incrementally delivers capabilities. The system goes into production this month after two years in development.

In warfare, as in chess, victory often depends on the ability to foresee the opponent's next move. So, it seems more than a little appropriate that Lt. Gen. Carl G. O'Berry, USAF (Ret.), a chess enthusiast, is now vice president of a company that is helping the United States develop an integrated battlespace designed to redefine modern warfare.

Eighteen companies have formed a consortium to collaborate on redefining how online identities are established, managed and optimized. The group's members believe that a federated identity approach will enable the next generation of the Internet, which will be characterized by federated commerce. This consumer- and business-friendly concept means that when traveling virtually within a federation of participating goods or service providers, an individual will have to sign on only once and will be able to advance through levels of authentication and authorization without starting the process over at each provider's electronic gate.

The U.S. Defense Department is reviewing several organizational, role and mission options that will emphasize e-business and accelerate the transformation of the department's business processes. A change in leadership within the department as well as President Bush's Management Agenda, an effort led by the Office of Management and Budget, are two of the driving forces behind the changes.

After participating in one of the first multinational exercises to use the U.S. Defense Department's new electronic procurement system, U.S. Army officials are touting the benefits of using paperless contracting in a contingency operation. The technology allowed procurement personnel to save time, respond quickly to customers' needs and work efficiently with contractors from several countries.

It is very rare that the experiences of one company can provide a snapshot of what has happened to the Internet sector, the U.S. economy and the technology industry in general.