There are basically two driving forces behind the Internet revolution, the explosion of connectivity and the adoption of common information standards. The growth in connectivity through electronic networks is exceeding most predictions in the United States and Europe and is also likely to do so in China. Connectivity means information can flow with next to zero cost or delay. This connectivity growth is combining with the transition from proprietary to open communications standards. The rapid emergence of universal technical standards, which allows everybody to communicate with everybody else at essentially zero cost, will produce a massive change in the way China communicates internally externally, with the rest of the world. Other factors affecting the internet revolution include the rapid introduction of mobile telephony, the process of deregulation in the telecommunications sector, the rise in consumer incomes and the continued expansion and growing importance in China in the global e-commerce market.
