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Hans Marko Munich, Federal Republic of Germany 1. As a charter member of the "MUNCHNER KREIS" and the organizer of this symposium, I take pleasure in welcoming you to these rooms of the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation. 2. I am pleased that we have succeeded in gathering together such a large and distinguished body of professionally qualified people to discuss new developments and directions in broadband communication. 3. This is the first symposium of the MUNCHNER KREIS, a supranational organization whose aim is to provide an international forum where not only the technical aspects but also the social and economic implications of new communications media might be discussed on an interdisciplinary basis. Professor Witte, Chairman of the MUNCHNER KREIS, will have more to say concerning the organization''s goals. 4. The physical world in which is live is hallmarked by two major forces: energy and information. From the sociological and economic standpoints, they can equally be viewed as major needs. 5. Whereas in the energy sector there are restrictions and limitations that curb development at every turn, this is not the case in the information sector. On the contrary -information engineering offers a host of new possibilities, many of which are realizable now or in the near future, thanks to new technologies. Among the more obvious examples are semiconductor technology, electronic computers, satellite engineering, .