A special issue of the journal "Trends in Communication", this text addresses the topic of convergence.

This issue of "Trends in Communication" will inspire researchers to take up the matter of convergence as a topic for research. We are entering a world--literally--without technical borders, and we need to adapt our markets as well as our economic and political institutions to that world. Whereas the scientific community has the luxury of being able to sit back and contemplate the issue from every possible angle, bureaucrats, legislators, and regulators are already working out the solutions to practical problems. This issue will hopefully also inform them about convergence and its problems.