Update October 1999: Poland

There have not been many changes in the major key players in IS in Poland over the previous three months. The new contacts obtained are mainly derived as a result of further government initiatives in the IS sector and telecommunications network and services liberalisation. For example, government education initiatives will result in private companies providing Internet services in secondary and primary schools in Poland.

• Telecom Operators
  
  The key players in the largest companies in the telecommunications sector remain largely unchanged. Pawel Rzepka remains President of Telekomunikacja Polska S.A (TP S.A), the largest Polish telecommunication services operator, with a monopoly for international connection until 2003. It is followed by cellular telephony operators Centertel, ERA GSM and POLKOMTEL (Plus GSM with Wladyslaw Bartoszeewicz, President).
  
  The biggest private local telephone operator groups are Netia Group, Poland Telecom Operators, Elektrim Group, Telefonia Lokalna. The presidencies of Telefonia Lokalna and El-Net have changed. The President of Telefonia Lokalna is now the former Vice-president, Robert Flak, and the new president of El-Net is Robert P. Wilson.
  
  There has been continued growth in the number of portals offered by Internet service providers. In addition to TP S.A, TELBANK, NASK and Internet Partners, there are new providers emerging in this sector. Internet Venture Poland (IVP) is going to develop Internet joint venture companies, and a new commercial portal will be established among others. In addition, TP S.A, which created the new company, TP Internet headed by Slawomir Kulagowski, will offer e-commerce services through its new portal.

• Governmental organisations
  
  The Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications is Jaroslaw Okragly, who is the Ministry's co-ordinator of the governmental solution to the Y2K Problem.
  
  The State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) is compatible with ministries of research and development in other countries. It is chaired by Profesor Andrzej Wiszniewski, and it co-ordinates the growth of the Polish Internet and supports development of computer and Internet facilities for the scientific community in Poland.
  
  The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration is the national co-ordinator of the solution to the Y2K Problem in Poland. The Ministry’s Governmental Registers, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Departments conduct the information service on the Y2K problem. The position of Minister is currently vacant. It is planned to divide the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration into a new Ministry of Internal Affairs and a new Ministry of Administration and Regional Policy. The UnderSecretary of State, Leszek Burzynski, is in charge of co-ordinating the solution to the Y2K problem.
  
  In 1999, as part of a government initiative, the Ministry of Education began installing Internet laboratories in 725 new secondary schools (gymnasiums) created during the process of educational reform. This initiative is overseen by the Minister of Education, Miroslaw Handke. Following a call for tender, four computer organisations will realise the government's investment in this project. By October 1999 two organisations from a final number of four providers have been selected to carry out and maintain the installation: the Polish-wide Foundation for Computer Education (Wroclaw) and Optimus S.A. (Nowy Sacz).

• Associations
  
  The Forum Polskiego Internetu Komercyjnego (the Polish Commercial Internet Forum) monitors and documents Polish Internet activities as one of its aims. The Forum has established the information service http://www.forum.org.pl