Taipei, 6:30 a.m.

Mr. Chang is aroused by his automatic wake-up call, and slowly, reluctantly leaves the confines of his warm comfortable bed. After having eaten a breakfast of precisely 300 calories (precalcuated for him by computer), Mr. Chang heads into his study to read the videotex on his terminal, which is hooked into a data bank that provides him with the information he has subscribed for. Today Mr. Chang reads the news, the weather report, and the latest real estate prices.

Mr. Chang also has a poor sense of time, and so while Ms. Chang exercises nearby in the park, she calls in from her portable phone, reminding him not to miss the bus.

Mr. Chang works in an international construction firm and today has a meeting with Mr. Lin of the company's American branch. In preparation for the meeting, Mr. Chang scans some relevant materials from the "International Encyclopedia," provided by the electronic mail center. Today he only needs data from the "Pacific Information Network Center." With the two terminals talking via trans-oceanic links, the meeting is far more productive than what could be obtained by use of the traditional telex. Both sides can obtain first-hand information straight from the source. And while Mr. Chang has been busy, Ms. Chang has not been sitting idle, either.

Though she lists her occupation as housewife, Ms. Chang sometimes also plays the stock market. Through use of the videotex, she keeps up on the latest stock market reports and has managed to earn a fair amount of money. The videotex also lets her know about special markdowns and sales at department stores and supermarkets. Ms. Chang takes a glance at the screen, and decides that after taking her son to school, she will go shopping.

Darn it! Ms. Chang suddenly remembers she forgot to turn off the air conditioner. She heads toward a public pay phone. When the phone rings for the twentieth time, it automatically activates the "Power Control Switch." Ms. Chang dials a secret number which controls the power in her house. To get through to the air conditioner, she must dial "5," and to turn it off, she dials "1" as the last digit. The phone answers then with a "beep" sound, meaning the operation has been completed. The integration of the phone system with the power system of the Chang household helps Ms. Chang a great deal.

Is this the 21st century lifestyle of the Chang family?

No. It is a lifestyle of today. Videotexes, portable phones, information network systems, and remote control systems are not science fiction tales, they are here at our elbow. They were not created at a snap of the fingers, but are the products of hard work.

In the nineteenth century, Ching military officials established a telegraph line to inform the Peking government of the situation here. It was the first electronic information apparatus installed in Taiwan. During the Japanese Occupation, Taiwan received its first telephone and now counts 4,120,000 sets, ranking seventeenth in the world and marking a sixty-fold increase from 1955. At present there is one phone for every 3.5 people on the island.

In 1982, the first digital network was set up in Taiwan, marking a major step forward in the communications field here. Formerly, only analog networks were used which is, owing to the widespread nature of the phone system, the most prevalent communication network on the globe. Phone systems use analog networks, which transform sound into magnetic waves, send them through the system, and then change the waves back into sound. With the digital system, the original sound waves are keyed into a binary system, set according to the length and frequency of the waves. For example, a successful circuit connection would be 0 and an unsuccessful circuit connection would be 1. The advantages of this kind of system lie in its superior accuracy, speed, and capacity.

This year the telecommunications industry took further steps forward. The videotex, a link-up between a computer (sometimes with a decoder and mini keypad of a television) and the phone systems of its subscribers, was introduced, allowing easy information retrieval by its users. September saw the formal unveiling of digital television, whose 1050 scanning lines give it double the resolution of ordinary sets.

The ROC is also pushing ahead research and development plans on its own Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which with its greater flexibility, can transfer sound, pictures, and the printed word along the same network. Completion of such a system, however, requires phone operations to be run entirely on digital lines. At present, the analog system still prevails in Taiwan, meaning only sound can be transferred. Moving to digital would allow the computer, the phone, and the television to all participate in the same network.

When that day comes, computers will be far more versatile and smarter than today. Automation and electronic mail will have replaced many jobs now done by factory and postal workers, and most of us will be working shorter hours. Our lifestyles will have undergone major changes.

Statistics say that in the past ten years (1976 to fiscal year 1985), investment in Taiwan's information industry amounted to NT$158 billion (US$3.9 billion), including the first Six-Year and Four-year Plans. During the second Four-year Plan, to commence next year, investment is scheduled for about NT$106 billion (US$2.5 billion). Growth prospects for the telecommunications industry appear bright, with profits increasing by a rate of 44%.

Therefore, while Taiwan is taking steps to enter the information age, the question remains of when the country will actually arrive there. The answer to this question lies outside the industry, in the society at large.

(Translated by Mark Halperin)

[Picture Caption]

Videotex will become tomorrow's encyclopedia, to be consulted for everyday news and information.

Videotex also has cartoon graphics capabilities.

Videotex will become tomorrow's encyclopedia, to be consulted for everyday news and information.

Videotex also has cartoon graphics capabilities.