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The World Wide Web was officially born way back in 1991 and has developed considerably since then. So, what will the internet look like a similar distance ahead? We asked a range of industry insiders, and have collated their professional opinions, below. Interestingly, they’re remarkably consistent…
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| Photo: IDG Connect |
A whole host of competing internets
Nick Lambert, CMO of UK startup Maidsafe
By 2040, global decentralised computing networks running on the spare computing resources of individual users’ machines, mobiles and embedded devices will be common place. Rather than having one internet, there will be several (similar to browsers today) and large technology companies will compete to be the most dominant.
Rings of an onion diced to suit your need
Garry Stevens, business consultant and CEO of Centerprise
The internet could be structured as many different internets by 2040. I can envisage a free-to-go zone for all the personal level information that families collaborate on, and a different area that would be the ‘professional’ social media domain. Perhaps we will see another level of the internet focused purely on business information that companies would need to pay to be a part of...
Think of the internet as the rings of an onion that could be separated and diced to suit the need, instead of the whole onion as it is today. With different performance needs, security requirements, fees and uses, the internet could drive the structure of society by the access levels that you need and the ones that you can afford!
The Cloud-of-Things
Peter Cochrane OBE, the ex CTO of BT
If by 2040 we have achieved sustainable societies and smart cities it will be on the back of Clouds-of-Things sustained by a dense infrastructure of low energy optical fibre and short hop wireless. The internet of today will be a distant memory along with cellular mobile, which already represents a minority carrier.
New generations of Wi-Fi (and more) will provide the primary short-range communication between people and things, whilst networks without infrastructure will dominate along with local storage. Whilst most things will have to be online, they need not communicate beyond some local community or boundary, and even for many apps and services this projection could be the dominant mode.
Wired-up to our everyday lives
Gary Taylor, Business Director of the digital agency, TMWI
In 2040 the internet will be wired into our everyday lives to help in all aspects from ordering food in our home, driving our cars and essentially play the role as our virtual personal assistant. The Internet of Things will have converged and the items we carry on our person will no longer exist as separate entities (wallet, credit cards, phone, car keys, ID) particular advancements in healthcare and education will change the way patients are diagnose and students are taught as the ability to access large data sets and information in real time becomes better and faster. Connectivity in developing countries will have allowed significant investment and commercial growth within those areas, creating a new generation of empowered workers.
The internet of identity
Richard Lack, Director of Sales at Gigya
By 2040, users will experience an entirely fluid internet experience, both online and in the real world with Internet of Thing devices, all communicating and learning via that single digital identity. We are already seeing the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google moving to dominate digital experiences. By 2040, these user experiences will have developed considerably.
Sensors, data and more AI
Robert Ackland, Group Director of Product Development for HEG
My first prediction for the internet in 2040 is that the bar for creating an online presence online will be set lower and lower. In 25 years, I’d expect a huge degree of maturity here, with Artificial Intelligence being used to anticipate needs and customise experiences in real-time based on feedback and trends.
My second prediction revolves around the evolution of the location aware internet that we’re seeing today. In 2040, the environment aware internet will be mature and widely accepted. Vast numbers of sensors with real-time processing capability will instrument every facet of your life - creating wearables that can keep you healthy, cars that can drive themselves, and buildings that can optimise your energy costs.
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Source: IDG Connect
