This Week May 23,1990. Page M7 FUTURE WATCH Japanese set the pace for our future ui must have noticed the recent training programs we are going through — albeit unconsciously. Postal codes, for example, are in alpha-numeric symbols. Longer phone numbers are coming soon. Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation s (NTT), the world’s largest corporation (twice the size of IBM, General Motors and AT & T combined), recently announced that by January 1991, all phones in greater Tokyo (which includes 26 cities, six towns and nine villages) will have four-digit exchange numbers, one more than the present three. If you think Tokyo has made another first, youre wrong. That claim to fame has already gone to Paris. This is the first such change of —————— = exchange num- 5B dy 6w bers in 31 years f= OFROFT in Tokyo. In 1960, they changed from two digits to three. As the commu- nications age blossomed in Ja- pan, the use of facsimile in- creased (some Ja- panese offices ac- tually fax mail across the same office floor — almost all fax between upstairs and downstairs) and so did the use of microcomputer communica- tions, and normal voice telephone lines: eventual- ly, something had to give in this cutting-edge metropolis. Four-digit exchange numbers was obviously the way to go. An earlier crunch indicated the coming trend: . pagers went four-digit in February, 1987. In 1988, new telephone subscribers (in areas suffer- ing from a shortage of new phone exchanges) were assigned four-digit phones. By FRANK OGDEN The new step is a continuation of the trend. For example: present No. 03 (Tokyo) / 123-4567 converts to: 03-3123-4567) at 2:00 a.m. Janua- ry 1, 1991. Expect such changes here eventual- ly. And the complexities be surprised if a Japanese company offers to rewire your city with fibre-optics — providing they can compete with the presently established cable company. They will offer such enticements as guaranteeing not to raise cable rates for five - years, a selection of continue. NTT expects a shortage of four-digit exchange numbers by early 1991 in areas where the demand for telephones is rapidly increasing. They are al- ready working on that. Note how the Japan- ese anticipate problems way ahead of an actual crisis. In North Ameri- ca, crisis is often only recognized when con- firmed by disaster. Ja- pan knows that pro- gression in an ad- vanced information so- ciety requires that su- perior communications facilities be the stan- dard. You are used to changing the clock twice a year: when go- ing into daylight saving time, in winter, and the reverse in the spring- time. Next: an outer space time zone so earth stations will have something concrete to relate to. Get ready, also, to see phone numbers (or cable numbers) grow here as the coming decades introduce more and more communications equipment. The Japanese recently announced that they had hooked up 17 new cities to their fibre-optic network. One listed was Chicago, U.S.A. Don’t more than 100 channels for the same price now paid for 40, and another 100 channels for busi- ness use for additional fees. The speed with which telecommunications are developing on a world scale allows multi- national companies to make offers just not available to the much smaller national compa- nies. If, due to political pressure or nationalistic feelings, some countries refuse to let such adv- ancements take place, then those restrictions will place such countries in a secondary position. They will be unable to obtain the necessary in- formation to put other corporations in their country on an equal ba- sis — similar to techno- polies already en- trenched. The videocassette recorder many now classify as a necessity, not a luxury. Almost all recorders are Japanese. The fax machine is sweeping the world, allowing business to communicate more rapidly than ever before. Many small businesses say they simply can’t operate without one. The fax machines are all Japanese. FOR YOU entire stock $7922 $149°° Teg. to ee ITS OUR AT OPENING BURGER EXPRESS — Thay 33: ) LOWER LEVEL air Tillicum Mall v June2} | / FULL MEAL BONUS BREAKFAST SPECIAL Eo EE INCLUDES SMALL FRIES AND 1 ; Sr ~ LARGE POP OR COFFEE! 2 EGGS Sear e’s oes : 3 BACON 5 Z SINGLE DOUBLE TOAST & JAM 250-5th Street, Courtenay, B.C. VON 1J6..........s0000+0+- 334-3178 * EXPRESS BURGER 3.49 4.29 986 Shoppers Row, Campbell River, B.C. VQW 2C5...... 286-6515 ° PIZZA BURGER 3.69 4.49 A9 125 Station Street, Duncan, B.C...e.cccccscssesseceeseeneeeesees 746-1718 * CHEESE BURGER 2.99 3.29 ae a 711 Yates Street, Victoria, B.C.....cc.csssscecssseeseeseseeceeeees 383-3324 * REGULAR BURGER 2.69 3.49 CLIP THIS COUPON HELP US CELEBRATE OUR 2 FOR 7 ON ANY HAMBURGER AT BURGER EXPRESS i) this CHOOSE FROM OUR REGULAR, PIZZA, CHEESE OR hewspaper Gi — EXPRESS BURGER. RECEIVE 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 . Tl is Tillicum Mall - LOWER LEVEL see ol GRAND OPENING WITH THIS COUPON ONLY VALID MAY 24TH - 27TH ONLY Recycle be