The new Internet: the transition to a ubiquitous Internet society

Japan, Inc., Autumn, 2005 by Jack Turner

Heading home, your new broadband cell phone connects to a number of your appliances. It ensures your bath will be run by the time you get home, and tells the fridge to have those beers cooled to just above freezing. The fridge, in a panic over there being less than a glassful of milk for breakfast, orders a bottle from the online supermarket, and next contacts your wife, who calls to say you forgot the milk again and "will never change." Then comes a voice message giving you the quickest route home, downloaded from the network and based on weather and traffic conditions. This may all sound like it's straight out of a science fiction movie, but what is being called the "new Internet" is right around the corner, and Japan, as usual, is leading the way.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Five years ago Japan lagged behind in creating an information society but today it is perhaps the closest to achieving a "ubiquitous society." The first e-Japan policy was launched in 2001 by Prime Minister Mori, who many would probably remember for his political gaffes rather than for his prowess in IT policy. The government first adopted a Basic IT Law and established the IT Strategic Headquarters. Soon after, it introduced the e-Japan Priority Policy Program, which had the lofty goal of creating an Internet society in which all information is digitized and universally available via a low-cost and convenient open network. The goal was to propel Japan to the forefront of IT within five years.

The years 2000-2001 also saw the birth of fixed-line broadband Internet in Japan, with established telcos such as NTT, and also IT ventures, including Softbank and eAccess, beginning to offer ADSL services. Subscriber numbers rocketed, and not only is Japan's broadband penetration rate one of the highest in the world today, but these companies are now able to offer an incredible 100mps to the home.

Another e-Japan strategy, an e-Japan Acceleration Package, and three more Priority Policy Programs later, and an IT society has evolved in Japan that could not have even been imagined five years ago. Leading the way is Yahoo! Japan, the giant Internet portal site, which was only established in 1996, and is now valued at over USD$31 billion. Its views now top 300 million a month, which, on a daily rate, is more than double the number of readers of Japan's four major newspapers.

Despite having come this far, Japan is not sitting on its hands. The current objectives are to "continue to be the world's most advanced IT nation in 2006 and beyond," and to "realize a vigorous, safe, and convenient society through the use of IT," according to the Internet Policy Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. These specific 2006-2010 objectives are loosely packaged into the ubiquitous society, or u-Japan concept.

Today's Internet consists of broadband connections mainly for PCs. However, under u-Japan, the new Internet will consist of networks of thousands or millions of microchips, in home electronic appliances as well as PCs and cell phones, connected to the network, all communicating with one another. The ubiquitous society connects everyone and everything, where anyone, anytime and anywhere can benefit from the use of terminals and networks without even being aware of the existence of the network. The necessary steps to progress from e- to u- are to "unplug" conventional devices by making them wireless and portable, and to "plug" other appliances onto the network by inserting connection devices.

This wireless revolution is apparent in Japan: just witness the popularity of the massive Networld Interop Tokyo 2005, a showcase of Internet technologies for a ubiquitous society attended by over 152,000 visitors in just three days. Of the technologies that gained the most attention at Interop Tokyo, at least three are going to play a major part in the new Internet in u-Japan: RFID; VoIP, and IPv6.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses devices attached to objects for transmitting data to a receiver. These devices can be pieces of hardware as large as a paperback book for attachment to ocean containers, or as small as a tiny device inserted into a package label. The advantages of RFID are the ability to change the stored data as processing occurs, the ability for non-line-of-sight transfer of data, and durability in harsh physical environments--like paddocks. RFID is increasingly used in combating BSE in beef. By attaching a small RFID device to every cow, a farmer can gather and store real-time information on the location of each animal in the paddock. The farmer can track its interactions with other cows, is alerted if an animal gets lost or falls down a hole, and can instantly detect any change in body temperature or behavior, thus enabling him to prevent the spread of infections or abnormalities.

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) is the current holy grail of communications technology. VoIP technology allows telephone calls to be made over an Internet connection, rather than using the regular (or analog) phone line. This removes the need for the infrastructure of conventional telephone systems such as the PBX and switching systems. It is estimated that VoIP telephone networks can save up to 90 percent of the maintenance costs of conventional phone systems. A popularized version of VoIP technology is the Skype system, licensed in Japan by Livedoor, which targets regular PC users and allows them to call anywhere in the world from computer-to-computer for free. It has already attracted over 154 million free downloads, and is being used by both individuals and companies around the world. The impact of Skype on the telecommunications industry has been described by one analyst as "like a meteor heading toward earth."