The Internet: a Paradigmatic Rupture in Cumulative Telecom Evolution

The paper investigates the impact the Internet may have in theevolution of telecommunications networks. First, we show whythe Internet, emerging from a different cognitive perceptionof the data communication problem, has led to a new networkarchitecture based on: (i) the distribution of the ‘networkintelligence’ 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 periodsof time); (iii) the establishment of an Internet Protocol (IP)‘gateway’ facilitating interoperability betweenheterogeneous infrastructure facilities—instead of theoperator—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—‘creativedestruction’) should dynamically co-exist henceforth andcompete for market shares—possibly during later evolutionarystages generating relatively different national or even localized(e. g. local providers) trajectories of evolution (with differinginterfaces and standards). Furthermore, we explore the questionof whether the Internet’s interoperability model may bea useful policy paradigm for future information infrastructures,and we start to discuss the implications of requisite interoperabilityon the comunications industry‘s structure itself. Overall,our preliminary observations raise questions about the possibilitiesof two ‘technological trajectories’ co-existing,and the relationship between the interoperability and learningconditions in the network industries.