Defining Infocommunications and Related Terms

The convergence of telecommunications, informatics (IT) and media based on the common digital technology affected these sectors in different ways and at different times, resulting in different approaches and terms. The paper presents infocommunications as an evolving expansion of telecommunications with information processing and content management functions. Information and communication(s) technology (ICT) is considered an extended synonym for IT to emphasis the integration of the unified (tele)communications. Contents involved in the convergence process are expanded by cognitive features; and the term cognitive infocommunications was established. Subtle distinctions between these and other terms that have emerged are clarified and compared, as well as a consistent terminology is proposed. People refer to the mosaic words infocommunications, info-communications and the acronyms ICT, IST, TIM and other terms to identify a sector born as a result of digital convergence, a convergence process triggered by the huge scale development of digital technology. The role of the convergent sector is relevant in the realization of the information/knowledge/networked society. This sector, more precisely the ICT sector, represents about 5% of the EU economy, but it generates 25% of total business expenditure in Research and Development (R&D), and investments in this sector account for 50% of all European productivity growth (7). The uniform digital technology base has given rise not only to the effectiveness of the economies of scale and the efficient increase of the complexity of the products and services, but has also provided additional synergic opportunities for the combination of the functions. Therefore the sector is not only