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by:
Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH, Oxfordstr. 2, D-53111 Bonn
Tel.: (+49 02 2) 9 85 30-0, Fax: (+49 02 28) 9 85 30-12, Email: info@empirica.com, http://www.empirica.com, http://www.ecatt.com, Contact: Werner B. Korte
Table of Contents: 
2. Introduction
3. The Policy Background in Germany
3.1 Telecommunication liberalisation, tariffing, availability, etc.
3.1.1 Liberalisation in fixed networks
3.1.2 Liberalisation in mobile networks
3.1.3 Liberalisation, competition and growth in fixed networks in Europe (Mannesmann Index MAX)
3.2 Internet access policies and tariffs
3.3 Specific telework and e-commerce policies
3.3.1 Federal level initiatives and policies
3.3.2 Federal State level initiatives and policies
3.4 Information society initiatives
3.5 Significant private sector initiatives
3.5.1 Init@tive D21
3.5.2 Baden-Wuerttemberg Connected e.V.
3.5.3 Others
3.6 Educational initiatives
3.7 Other initiatives
4. Electronic Commerce and Telework Penetration and Trends: The Main ECATT Findings for Germany
4.1 Electronic Commerce
4.1.1 PC and e-mail usage, internet and online services access and use by the population
4.1.2 Online activities with relevance for electronic commerce: online shopping and banking by the population
4.1.3 Barriers to online shopping
4.1.4 Advantages of online shopping
4.1.5 E-mail usage, internet and online services access and use by establishments
4.1.6 E-mail and internet "censorship" in German establishments
4.1.7 Online and electronic commerce activities by establishments
4.1.8 Barriers to online sales and online procurement
4.1.9 Resume
4.2 Telework
4.2.1 Telework penetration and growth
4.2.2 Interest in and potential of telework
4.2.3 Characteristics of telework and teleworkers
4.2.4 Telework practise by establishments
4.2.5 Barriers to Telework
4.2.6 Telework potential, trends, prognosis
4.2.7 Resume
5. Conclusions
5.1 Telework
5.2 Electronic Commerce
Over the past two years the telecommunications landscape in Germany has – due to strong liberalisation efforts - developed to a fast growing and more and more competitive one. Germany now belongs to the top group in the world with respect to telecommunications infrastructure quality, penetration and use. It is moving in the same direction with respect to telecommunication prices mainly due to the heavy competition in this market resulting from the market liberalisation and subsequent emergence of many competitors to Deutsche Telekom. Finally, free internet access is starting to become more widely available in Germany. Today, Germany offers very good infrastructure prerequisites and preconditions for electronic commerce and new forms of work such as telework.
In Germany, Federal and Federal state governments have, over the past years, heavily invested in awareness raising and funding programmes to improve the diffusion and penetration of electronic commerce and telework and initiatives to pave Germany’s way towards the information society. The intention is to continue with these activities addressed to industry, public administration and the general population during the next years. In addition Federal government has announced a number of specific programmes to reach different set targets (cf. below). Government will be supported by emerging private sector initiatives namely the probably most relevant one called Initi@tive D21.
So far, Germany has been rather slow in moving towards the information society, something very typical for Germans in the early stages of newly emerging developments. However, it appears as if the country is starting to increase speed now. It is hoped that Germany will in the not to distant future be able to gain the benefits from all these investments and activities and develop – at a higher speed than so far - to one of the world’s leading information societies in the world.
In order to achieve this objective some recommendations for further procedure are given.
