CAPTAIN'S TABLE By Darryl Edwards The convergence of communications …

CAPTAIN'S TABLE
By Darryl Edwards

The convergence of communications           us ­ the refrigerator, vending machine,
and the internet is creating complex,       parking meter, or car ­ will begin to
cross-cultural networks that are            communicate independently on our
rapidly outpacing the ability of            behalf. In the process the network's
regional policymakers to adapt.             potential for benefit, and for misuse,
                                            will begin to multiply. And our ability
With the advent of `hyperconnectivity',     to exert unilateral local control
where the number of connected               will diminish.
devices far exceeds the number of
people in the network, the complexity       Tomorrow's network will not be
of policy decisions and the pace of         constrained by borders. It will be
change will increase rapidly. Meanwhile     hyperconnected. It will host virtual
the virtual nature of the internet will     communities that will be simultaneously
make local controls less and less           everywhere and nowhere. And it will
effective. Broader cooperation across       require new approaches to regulation,        `More and more, the
regional and global markets is essential    and global cooperation, to guide its
to ensure consistent policy that fosters    evolution and to maximise its benefits.      machines around
rather than limits innovation.
                                            An indicator of internet growth,             us will begin to
We are already experiencing the             Metcalfe's law, reminds us that the
challenges of establishing standards        value of a network increases in              communicate
at the regional level in areas such as      proportion to the square of the number
information privacy and security.           of nodes on the network. But this is only    independently on our
Complex problems in the areas of            half of the equation: it does not take
copyright and patent law continue           into account the network's span, either      behalf, increasing the
to make headlines as the market for         in distance or in the diversity of the
information exchange grows increasingly     nodes connected. Nor does it account         network's potential
global, and increasingly virtual.           for the fluidity created by the increasing
                                            percentage of nodes that are constantly      for benefit ­ and
The stark reality is that the trend of      moving within and among networks
hyperconnectivity, where everything         over wireless connections.                   for misuse''
that can be connected, will be
connected to the network, is creating a     Policy choices are only indirectly
virtual communications environment          impacted by the number of nodes
unlike anything we've ever experienced.     on the network. A large number of
Already in parts of the EU and Asia,        constituents may make decisions              global network. To start, we should
mobile phone penetration exceeds            more difficult, or increase their            work with our global partners to put
100 percent. Innovation in consumer         societal impact, but the number of           in place flexible but consistent radio-
electronics is creating new categories of   nodes does not directly drive the            spectrum management policies in
connected devices at an accelerating        complexity of the task. The span and         advance of the rapid rollout of wireless
pace. As an example, home                   fluidity of the network have a direct        broadband across the region.
entertainment systems like Sony's           impact on complexity, however. No
Playstation, Microsoft's Xbox, or           single region will have complete             But more importantly, we should move
Nintendo's Wii, are already capable         oversight of tomorrow's networks,            quickly to establish policies that
of networking users into online             and roving users will no longer be tied      promote innovation and competition
                                                                                                                                    e!sharp | july-august 2007 |




gaming communities.                         to the laws of a single jurisdiction.        across the EU. For although the pace
                                                                                         of change is increasingly set in the
In the hyperconnected future we will        The review of the EU's e-communica-          virtual market, winners and losers
each represent many connections to the      tions regulatory framework presents a        emerge at a local and regional level.
global network. We will each connect        timely opportunity to establish new          Tomorrow's winners will likely come
through our phones, laptops, and PDA's.     policy directions in anticipation of the     from future-looking jurisdictions with
But increasingly the machines around        growing promise and complexity of the        innovation-friendly policies.
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