Amazon.com description: Product Description: The South African telecommunications industry is at a crucial stage in its technological development, facing choices that will have long-term effects on private consumers and large-scale industry alike. In "The crossed line", David Kaplan examines the development of the telecommunications industry in South Africa and, sometimes controversially, discusses the problems that have beset it. In analyzing the factors which will determine its future structure and operations, he turns to comparative studies of the industry in a number of countries. The book provides a critique of the public communications network administered by the South African Post Office. It also explains the workings of the local industry which supplies equipment to the telecommunications network. Kaplan substantiates his text with data, tables and many interviews. The information he provides is pertinent and detailed enough to remain valuable for reference purposes.