The Internet: a Paradigmatic Rupture in Cumulative Telecom Evolution

Abstract

The paper investigates the impact the Internet may have in the evolution of telecommunications networks. First, we show why the Internet, emerging from a different cognitive perception of the data communication problem, has led to a new network architecture based on: (i) the distribution of the ‘network intelligence’ to the user equipment; (ii) the very cost-effective ‘statistical sharing’ of the network resources (i. e. getting the whole bandwidth of the network for short periods of time); (iii) the establishment of an Internet Protocol (IP) ‘gateway’ facilitating interoperability between heterogeneous infrastructure facilities—instead of the operator—controlled homogeneity of the telecom networks; and (iv) an ‘adaptative’ way for open standards—setting. Second, we suggest that two technological trajectories (telecom— ‘creative accumulation’ and Internet—‘creative destruction’) should dynamically co-exist henceforth and compete for market shares—possibly during later evolutionary stages generating relatively different national or even localized (e. g. local providers) trajectories of evolution (with differing interfaces and standards). Furthermore, we explore the question of whether the Internet’s interoperability model may be a useful policy paradigm for future information infrastructures, and we start to discuss the implications of requisite interoperability on the comunications industry‘s structure itself. Overall, our preliminary observations raise questions about the possibilities of two ‘technological trajectories’ co-existing, and the relationship between the interoperability and learning conditions in the network industries.