Insight | What does the future of the Internet look like?
Corporate
Today marks 46 years since the first electronic message was transmitted from one computer to another over what would become the Internet. The students at UCLA sending their message to the Stanford Research Institute simply sent ‘login’ – no one could have guessed the impact this simple exchange would have on global communications, and society as a whole.
(The first attempt at this message read ‘LO’ before the computer crashed, becoming ‘LOL’ an hour later as they restarted the messaging – an omen perhaps for the future!)
At the beginning, the Internet was specialised, and was really just for universities and governments to exchange data. In parallel to that were separate communications networks such as landline telephones and fax machines, things we barely use now. As mobile phones started to become a fixture of daily life 10-15 years ago, we began to see the blurring of the traditional boundaries of communications.
The Internet has really taken over human communications. Gone are the days where we had data exchange networks separate from other forms of communications. We now live in a world where the Internet is not only how we communicate with each other, but how we perceive our world (and taking it further, our reality).
We have already come so far. I’m sure the grad students who exchanged that first message 46 years ago had no idea our world would look so different as a result of their work. We already live in a connected world where machines can communicate with one another. With the Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) programme, we are already thinking about how the Internet of Things era will transform into the Internet of Everywhere.
I believe the next step for the development of the Internet will be device connectivity overtaking human connectivity, at least in terms of the number of devices connected. Devices will be connected by even more hubs and points of presence, and all device communication will become Internet-based. The Internet will, essentially, become even more prevalent in our daily lives.
For me, what Inmarsat has been doing with GX is an important element in the next stage of the Internet’s development. The key objective of GX is to make satellites a seamless part of the World Wide Web infrastructure, which is hugely exciting. This will mean that wherever you are in the world, whether you are in the sky, in the desert or in the middle of the ocean, you will remain connected to high-speed broadband, which is a concept that wouldn’t have even been imaginable 46 years ago.
Will we live in a truly connected world? Will our network structure be able to cope with the influx of connected devices? Will emerging economies be able to catch up?
The answer to these questions, I think, is yes. There will be challenges. For me, post-processing in a device-connected world will be the biggest hurdle, but we will find a way to meet this challenge. Emerging economies will also catch up more quickly than we think, as it is relatively easy to deploy systems and pre-engineered solutions to cope with the information and gather data. There are already examples of countries such as India using machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions to check whether people are receiving the right level of government subsidies.
In short, I am excited for what our future, connected world will look like. Our world is already so different to what it was 46 years ago thanks to the Internet, and I believe the next steps forward will see the Internet truly becoming a universal backbone for communications in all corners of the globe, no matter how remote they are.
Michele Franci, CTO, Development and Engineering, is responsible for the Inmarsat space and ground infrastructure (network and access technology), and product and service development. He is also in charge of the delivery of the Global Xpress programme, bringing it to its commercial launch, including regulatory and market access programs.
Michele has also been tasked to frame and develop a yield analysis and management capability, and is responsible for the infrastructure competition intelligence and analysis.
Prior to joining Inmarsat, Michele worked at SES from 2006 to 2012, as SVP for Planning and Procurement, he was part of the Engineering management committee, responsible for the SES fleet management, mission design and development, satellite and launcher procurement and risk management. Before that, he worked at Arianespace. From having responsibility for initial mission management (including twelve launch campaigns) he rose to VP Business Development, leading the marketing group, including commercial strategy and proposals, long-term strategic development and sales oversight. Between 2000 and 2005 he was a member of Arianespace’s Board of Directors. Before that, Michele spent five years with Fokker Space, as Program Manager of a European multinational robotic arm development for use on the ISS. He also spent one year at ESTEC’s advanced studies and simulation department.
