AT&T executives claim that by 2010, the Internet could be filled to its physical capacity. Without a significant amount of investment, the Web will not be able to handle all of the data being processed into it.
Speaking at a Westminster eForum on web 2.0 this week in London, Jim Cicconi, vice president of legislative affairs for AT&T, warned the current systems that constitute the internet will not be able to cope with the increasing amounts of video and user-generated content being uploaded.
He said: “The surge in online content is at the centre of the most dramatic changes affecting the internet today. In three years’ time, 20 typical households will generate more traffic than the entire internet today.”
More than eight hours of video is uploaded into YouTube every minute, and by 2010 video will account for more than eighty percent of the Internet bandwidth, up from 30 percent today. Also, within the next three years, 20 households will generate more traffic then all of the traffic generated today. Without substantial investment, users could be trouble in terms of their Internet activities. The article suggests that it is not a good idea for the government to be the main investor, but I believe that it should be. I still believe that it should play a lesser role in regulation, but should help keep it afloat, as the Internet is a very large part of not only individuals and firms, but the government itself relies on the Web greatly.
