COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNET AND WWW IN EASTERN EUROPE

The paper examines the commercial development of the Internet and WWW in Eastern Europe, with special attention given to such regional Internet leaders as Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia and Slovenia. Major commercial networks and Internet Service Providerrs are discussed and Web services offered by various companies are considered. The paper also looks into such commercial aspects of Web development as private business and legal information providers, Web advertising, and online shopping (mostly online bookstores, computer stores, and ‘shopping centers’). Finally, the question of the security of Internet transactions is considered as an important factor in the future growth of electronic commerce in Eastern Europe.