Moving towards an information society in Portugal

The convergence of communication technology and digital information processing is rapidly changing the way that we look at the world and our society. As information processing has become progressively cheaper and electronic networks more extensive, what was once the domain of the military and the researcher has attracted the business sector and is now an important part of any national or supranational economy, aiming to compete globally. Since 1995, Portugal has been developing policies and strategies for their implementation within the framework of the broader European Union Information Society strategy. This paper outlines some of the more important landmarks in the creation and development of an Information Society in Portugal, commenting on the roles played by the different actors