Vision for global Internet platform

The opening plenary session topic was billed as a look at “New Media,” nevertheless it focused almost in every respect on technical aspects of the Internet.  A more accurate name might have been “The New Medium,” as it didn’t touch much at all on how the research is used to democratize information dissemination other than security issues.  All in all, the speakers gave an interesting review of the underlying technologies that support New Media.  Oddly, the commercial uses of the Internet were barely mentioned in this session, though it is the commercial opportunities on the Internet that drive the research and demands for broadband expansion.

DT is funding Internet security technology at Ben Gurion University, because security will continue to be a major concern.  Mobile Internet will have more use and impact in the nearly future than traditional Internet, and the rise of mobile markets have created more security vulnerabilities.  Smart phones represent a quarter of all mobile devices, and tablets are a fast-growing segment already.  DT believe that meanwhile 15 billion connected devices will be in place by the end of the decade, including machine-to-machine devices like smart appliances, cars, surveillance, when all is said and done on.

What are we protecting?

What are we protecting?  Revolutionary advances in human efforts in areas apart from innovation.  Massive connectivity allows massive analytics that allow for much quicker progress on technology and development.  Apotheker gave one example where connectivity saves lives: counterfeit drugs.  RFID and scanner technologies connected to legitimate manufacturers and distributors allows for instant certification of supplies, keeping people from dying from either lack of care of physical poisoning.

Ninety percent of Internet traffic will be video by 2025.  That puts a premium on infrastructure building and maintenance, including security.  Landlines will continue to improve; FIOS is in 18 million homes, giving 100MB broadband to hardwired clients.  On mobile, Verizon plans to have 4G fully deployed by the end of 2012.  In other words a universal standard, which will allow global deployment of services or rather than having to deal with national barriers to deployment.

The last mile

“People used to think that the last mile was the biggest problem,” Seidenberg said, however mobile has solved that.  Cloud computing is now possible from most places and will be furthermore available as 4G and other technologies unfold.  Seidenberg warned, on the whole, that the proliferation of threats on the Internet will end up stratifying connectivity into separate public and private Internets — threats just as cyberbullying.  He urged support for public-private partnerships on security in order to keep the system in every way public.