We are in the age of the multinational mega-companies and they seem to be growing ever bigger through merger and acquisition activity. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence of a groundswell around the disintegration of the large corporation.

Vodacom`s yebo!net strength apparently lies in access provision, not content. But why is it that even internationally access providers struggle to keep their user bases while those who lead the combined content/access attack thrive?

Telkom will introduce per second billing from January 1999, thereby moving billing from per unit to per second. This certainly is good news for consumers, yet the question needs to be asked: 'What is Telkom`s strategy behind such a move?

Without any of us really noticing, a radical concept is invading our business and personal lives. It is emerging strongly as a topic for discussion and consideration as we think about the future of our businesses and the way in which we interact with customers.

E-mail is a wonderful collaborative tool that has found an ideal role in today`s wired organisation where a lot of opinion-based communication takes place in virtual space.

Portal sites will increasingly be looking for new ways to make money, rather than relying exclusively on the advertising model. This will be driven largely by a proliferation of boutique sites that will compete for the same ad-spend pie.

Each of us has mental models we have used over the years to make sense of the world around us. These apply to every part of our lives and therefore also to our view of business. Clearly, so much has changed and is rapidly changing that mental models of the past will be irrelevant and constraining as we deal with our new worlds.

Intellectual capital in the IT industry is a precious resource. If you do your homework and are prepared to take a risk, you could be on the way to international success, says Ixchange CEO Derek Kreunen.

As a special advisor reviews SATRA`s cellular licence recommendations, there are three possibilities that could occur - the twinning, combat or one licence scenarios, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Coaching is a term well understood in the world of sport. It is also a concept which has enormous potential for 21st century companies and 21st century people.

Internet access is a luxury commodity in SA. Whether it`s used for business purposes or entertainment, even if it`s used to actually generate income -- it`s still something that the vast majority of the population doesn`t and won`t have access to, at least in the next few years.

There is a big future for portals, particularly as the ongoing battle for 'eyeball ownership' between the portal superpowers rages on. However, we are heading for a portal evolution which will change 'portalopoly' for ever.

Potential users of video conferencing expect this service to be easily deliverable, no doubt driven by the assumption that the Internet can be a good vehicle for this kind of application. In principle, and in an ideal world, this would be true.