The emergence of the Internet, which interconnects billions of IP-based devices like computers to each other, may be seen as one of the most important changes in the ICT sector in recent times. The internet was in the beginning primarily used for data services. E-mail and World Wide Web (WWW) were the most important services on the Internet. In further development, however, the number of services over the Internet has expanded, and today these include a variety of audio/video services like Internet radio and TV, B-logs and computer games. The next development we are witnessing is the emergence of ‘Internet of things’, which is mainly connected to the development of RFID technology and ‘sensor networks’. While a number of issues related to the organization of the general Internet are in place, there are a number of unsolved problems and challenges related to the ‘Internet of things’ which will be on the political agenda in the coming years.
Even though the Internet itself has not been regulated in many countries, it has however had massive implications on the regulatory framework, as the Internet in different levels of development has been able to facilitate the offering of regulated services like voice telephony and TV/radio. The resource organization and IP Interconnection, for example, are becoming more and more important as the Internet development goes beyond advanced countries and becomes a part of daily day life in developing countries.
RELATED INFORMATION
Design principles of the Internet
Separation of networks and servcies
End-to-End architecture
Scalability
Distributed design and decentralised control