The emergence and use of advanced technology in the international freight, express and parcel markets has forced many postal operators to review investment and business strategies along side customer demands for reliable and value-added services.

With Posts worldwide experiencing many changes and facing new challenges such as falling letter-mail volumes, diversification of business is becoming paramount. Many Posts are choosing the development of postal financial servicesand in particular, postal money orders, as a way to increase their business and revenue.

We live in exciting times because this is a watershed period in the history of the postal insdustry. The pressure of growing international exchanges and liberalisation of their activities has forced postal operators to reassess their strategy.

The accelerated use of information and communication technologies and the advent of the Internet have put very powerful tools within the reach of citizens, governments as well as large and small businesses everywhere. The Romanian Post is no exception.

Everyday life depends on the provision of a variety of valued trusted services, often taken for granted, be it services with monetary value or ordinary household services such as milk delivery, telecommunication or security services. One service that is most often taken for granted is the postal service.

We live in a society where access to information lies at the heart of most human activity. Information about goods and services is increasingly driving global markets.

Information Technology: The Key to Success
In times of globalisation, the use of state-of-the-art information technology and the development of new technological applications plays a major role in the competition among companies whose core bsiness involves the fusion of goods, data and information flows.

With its decision to introduce Terminals for Public Access to the Internet in its outlets, Brazil Post is taking a considerable steps to make the benefits of the so-called New Economy available to a larger number of Brazilians.

Postal enterprises worldwide are now faced with enormous change. The future of tomorrow's postal world relies on the ability of Posts to understand the new dynamics and successfully evolve through the development of existing and new service offerings.

Management information is one of the numerous challenges facing African postal administrations. Timely and accruate information is vital in the decision making process. Retrival and manipulation of this information helps management make right choices.

Economic development and increasing human mobility are creating new needs. Postal operators are responding by providing customers with products allowing the rapid, reliable and secure transfer of funds at affordable prices in every counrty.

Are you ready? Do you have the expertise? Can you respond to next month's market demands? With the rapid speed of change in the electronic world, be assured your competitors can.

Highly versatile in the field of communication, postal administrations are naturally inclined to become involved in developments associated with the new information technologies and the advent of electronic commerce.

Today's Posts are facing nemerous challenges as a result of the sweeping changes that are taking place in their environment.

Postal administrations the world over are experiencing momentous changes on an unprecedental scale toda, such as the rapid spread of e-mail, penetration of electronic payment, and the emergence of new distribution methods utilizing e-commerce.

The La Poste Group has strong ambitions in the new technologies field. Like everyone else, admittedly, as new technologies enable us to better sell our services. But more than many others, as new technologies also define the new contours of our business.

This first issue of POST*Info, marks the beginning of an effort to communicate regularly with all the members of the Telematics Cooperative concerning important activities and information pertaining to the Cooperative.