ITU Internet Reports: The Internet of Things
(www.itu.int/internetofthings/)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The internet as we know it is set to transform radically, according to a new
ITU Internet Report on “The Internet of Things”, specially prepared to
coincide with the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis in
November 2005.

From an academic network for the chosen few created in the late 1960s,
the internet is now a mass-market, consumer-oriented network being
accessed by almost 900 million people worldwide, through personal
computers, mobile phones and other wireless devices. But this is only the
beginning. According to ITU’s report, we are standing on the brink of
a new ubiquitous computing and communication era, one that will
radically transform the Internet, and with it, our corporate, community,
and personal spheres.

As real-time communications becomes possible not only by humans
but also by everyday objects (through technologies like RFID, sensor
networks and nanotech), a host of exciting opportunities will emerge
for a wide array of players - from mobile operators to retailers, from
equipment manufacturers to car manufacturers. Moreover, for end-users,
the connection of individual things to a network will mean that the real
world will become increasingly easier to manage by virtual design. As
such, it is likely to increase user convenience (e.g. speedier checkouts,
intelligent appliances), enhance quality of life (e.g. lifestyle applications),
reduce inequalities (e.g. better healthcare), while streamlining
important business processes. For the telecommunication industry, it
is an opportunity to capitalize on existing success stories, such as
mobile and wireless communications, but also to explore new frontiers.

For details on the report, please see www.itu.int/internetofthings/