The Future of the Internet, Perspectives emerging from R&D in Europe

The Internet world as we know it today has undergone far-reaching changes since its early days while becoming a critical communications infrastructure underpinning our economic performance and social welfare. With more than 1 billion fixed users world-wide today the Internet is poised to become a fully pervasive infrastructure providing anywhere, anytime connectivity. With the further deployment of wireless technologies, the number of users of the Internet is expected to jump to some 4 billion in a matter of few years. As the Internet extends its reach and serves an ever growing population of users, sensors and actuators and intelligent devices, new innovative services will be introduced, that contribute in turn to further developing an environment supporting innovation, creativity and economic growth. Such development has been positively acknowledged by the European Union in several documents that are emphasizing the European effort and strategy regarding the development of the "Future Internet". The lecture will address the EU approach and the R&D agenda in the technological and associated policy domains that have a bearing on the network and service infrastructure elements of the Internet of tomorrow.