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The following extract is from a letter from David Harrington of Britain's Telecommunications Managers Association to Dr Pekka Tarjanne, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union. Harrington wrote:
"The potential impact of the millennium timebomb on telecoms equipment and services is a problem which is causing concern to the members of this telecoms user organisation and to every business user of telecommunications throughout Europe. Telecoms Managers are under pressure to obtain, on behalf of their employers, a formal assurance that their Public and Private Network links will function as normal post-Year 2000 -- yet those assurances are not forthcoming. . . .
"The problem as it relates to the IT domain (almost exclusively related to a forecast skills shortage) has received a lot of media attention, but this level of activity is unfortunately not visible in the telecoms environment. We are, of course, in close touch with the major Operators in the UK but their advice is not reassuring. They are experiencing a mixed reaction from their suppliers (with around 40% not replying to requests for assurances on compliance) and there is evidence that the level of cooperation and coordination between the world’s Operators is not good."
Those in authority are staying politely silent -- anyway, silent.
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