However the dream scenario could easily turn into a 'nightmare walk down the superhighway' if the needs of elderly and disabled people are not taken into account right from the design stage and within the standardization process.

The reality will probably turn out to be somewhere between these two scenarios, but decision makers certainly have the responsibility and a unique opportunity to reach out to a wider market and ensure that future telecommunications are indeed telecommu nications for all.

The purpose of this ITU-T Recommendation is to define the Generic Multimedia Conversational Service and to describe their general features, regardless of the network environment in which these services are provided. These services allow conversational communication between two users in two different locations. The Generic Multimedia Conversational Services are one of the generic service types identified in ITU-T Recommendation F.700, and their description follows the methodology described therein.

Telecommunication charge cards may be issued by Operating Agencies (OAs) to allow customers to use their card in connection with various international services at appropriate charges for each transaction and have the charges billed to their account in the country where the OA issued the charge card. Cards issued by OAs in accordance with this Recommendation conform to the appropriate ISO standards.