Next10 and the Internet

The Next 10 Years: Bigger, faster internet

What is this technology?

The internet.  The vast global assembly of billions of computers. We know this modern wonder as the world wide web, the 'net' and the 'interweb'.  It is not a single technology - it's the infrastructure that we use to communicate electronically.

What will happen?

A connected world

The internet will continue to grow at phenomenal rates.  The outline is already there with interconnected backbone services rolled out across the developed world.  These workhorses for data transmission will be beefed up to provide every more capacity and speed, better intercontinental linkages protocols to connect a
practically infinite number of devices to the 'net.

We have server farms already and these will continue to multiply on a world scale as our insatiable need for more reliable storage increases.

Companies and private individuals will look to the cloud to provide all the services that we want - access to entertainment, news and knowledge systems, almost infinite storage capacity, connectivity from any device that can transmit and receive a data stream, the security of data back-up and guaranteed recovery capability.

How will this impact society?

Virtually everyone on the planet will have some level of connection to the internet.  The developed world will have almost universal access to faster data services, differentiated primarily by the power of the device they use to interact with the web.

More intuitive interfaces (primarily voice) mean that current barriers to access to non-technical users are largely removed.  Illiteracy and inability to operate a keyboard no longer prevent access to others.

A revolution in learning

Tradtional primary, secondary and tertiary education will be radically changed as the syllabus moves from a static, proscribed format to an interactive, real time relationship with like-minded scholars around the world.  Learning through interaction stimulates people to return to education.

The bigger, faster internet supports true multimedia streaming capability that is accessible by everyone from the private smartphone user to the largest corporate user who teleconferences with remote workers spread around the globe.  The available streaming capacity allows people to consume as much bandwidth as they need without interruption.

Secure cloud based storage means that no-one loses their precious information and no-one can ever again claim that the dog ate their homework.

How will this impact industry?

The rise of the internet has clearly been embraced by many industries but not by all.  It's hard to imagine that any company that wants to sell a service or a product can realistically survive without turning to the web for support.

Certainly bricks and mortar retailing in some market segments already demands a strong web presence - electronics, music, groceries, hardware - these retailers generally have good online shopping as a complement to their high street option.

Tradespeople have generally been slow to embrace the web but a website that allows householders to locate and research the capabilities of, say, a plumber and to contact them, all via the web, sounds like something we should already be seeing.  I would suggest that the average self-employed tradie has not yet done that and probably doesn't realise that this form of self promotion is an important tool.

For companies that have data to store (and in this day and age, surely that's everyone) they will need to make those important decisions on where to keep that information.  The cloud may seem like a great place to keep stuff and give others the responsibility of keeping it safe and secure but is that a given?  Can they be trusted?  Are you dealing with champions or charlatans?   How are you going to determine whether your choice of network and storage provider gives you a robust business continuity plan?  From the smallest trader to the largest enterprise, everyone will need to understand far more about the internet and the services it provides.

What supports this prediction?

The internet of things

Interview with FutureMe

Cisco predict quadrupling of internet traffic by 2015 (article from 2011)

Threefold increase projected by 2015 (made in 2011)

Cisco IP traffic increase projections 2011 - 2016