In the digital world, a bit is a bit whether it represents audio, video, data, software, etc. Consequently, in principle, there is no reason for separate networks for broadcasting and telecommunications. Of course, the reality is slightly more complex. In practice, there are some fundamental distinctions between broadcasting and telecommunications. Broadcasting essentially delivers one-way, one-to-many services, whereas telecom operators provide two-way, one-to-one services. Nevertheless, the boundaries between broadcasting and telecom have become increasingly blurred since the early 1980s; some analogue TV services have been used to deliver limited telecom-like services, such as delivery of encrypted teletext services for individuals or closed groups of users. The introduction of digital radio and TV networks opens up new opportunities for data services, particularly for delivery to portable or handheld devices. Demand for short 30-s video clip (e.g. a football goal) on mobile phones is increasing. Large-scale on-demand video services via Universal Mobile Telecommunication System ( UMTS) proved to be uneconomic. Instead, attention has turned to the benefits of one-to-many services: rather than sending individual video streams to each consumer, it would be much more efficient to transmit the same material simultaneously to all those interested. Of course, this new idea is actually broadcasting !

The over-used concept of convergence can apply to incorporating internet services onto a broadcasting platform, known as Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, or conversely, incorporating broadcasting services onto the internet platform, known as on-line convergence, or a mixture of the two.