Global communications infrastructure

Definition
The global communications infrastructure is

"a vast system of distributed, interconnected, and international networks, broader than the "Public Network," including what many call the Next Generation Network (NGN). This infrastructure includes both traditional information technology and communications components, and will logically (and broadly) consist of applications and devices that deliver services, the services provided to users (some by the network and some external to it), and the underlying transport networks. The term “global communications infrastructure” is used to emphasize the breadth of coverage of these networks."