The implementation of advanced telecommunications and services in the Greek academic and research environment: main issues and results

Efforts for the introduction within the Greek academic-research domain of telecommunication infrastructures based on international standards date back to the early 1980s. Today, the focus is on the deployment of high-performance networks capable of supporting advanced telematic applications such as distance learning, teletraining, and telemedicine. Recent efforts aimed at the implementation of advanced telecommunications and telematic services considered important for Greece are examined in this paper. These efforts are within the framework of activities for the realization of the European information superhighway. It is concluded that the benefits obtained to date for the academic and research community in Greece are significant; further, the experience obtained is expected to produce, in the course of time, multiplicative benefits across wider sections of the Greek society.