I wish I could define ICT, which is an acronym, for you - but if I do in all likelihood that definition may become invalid sooner than later.

One of the ways we can unbundle the term is to consider how digital technologies help individuals and organisation in their daily functions through appliances such as computers, robots, satellites, telephones and televisions. Together these can store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form.

The added advantage is that these are digitised in such a way that they can work with each other as well. The digitisation of data allows such data to be communicated over a distance. These are achieved through networks of sending and receiving equipment, wires and satellite links. Today, voice is translated into data packets, sent over networks to remote locations, sometimes thousands of kilometres away, and, upon receipt, translated back to voice. Even television is not immune to digitisation. In the near future, television signals and television sets will be digital. It will also be possible to use the television to surf the Internet. The digital TV will allow people from different locations to chat with each other while watching a programme. With everything becoming digital, television, voice telephony, and the Internet can use similar networks. The transmission of hitherto different services (telephony, television, and Internet) via the same digital network is also known as convergence.

In our daily lives ICT is often used in two ways. The first of these includes all the things that you and I do with our personal computers and the second the things that we do as part of a community.

However ICT has far exceeded the lists that you and Ihave constructed. In the year 2000 Thomas F. Frost, the then chairman of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) presented a picture of how ICT plays a role in the daily lives of individuals. I would like you to read his presentation 'The Everyday Life of a Household in Cyberspace'.

Malaysians, like citizens of many middle income countries, have taken to using ICTs in many different ways. We shall explore in the next section how ICTs have intruded into our lives. Our government has both encouraged Malaysians to be ICT friendly and have mapped out a national strategy called the 'National Strategic ICT Road Map'.