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Imagine living in a world where not just humans, but also devices and machines can connect and exchange information through online networks.
For instance, if the weather service reports that the temperature is about to drop while you are at work, the heating system of your house can read that information and turn up the heat pre-emptively to save energy. The calendar can also read from the road conditions service that the roads are getting slippery; it then sets your departure time a few minutes earlier.
These are few amongst a host of examples of connected devices that gives a picture of the world where almost all devices are connected and work in pure harmony with human and nature.
DIGITAL AGE
The past 25 years have brought a digital age, massive computing power, high-speed data access and mobile communication. More recently, we have seen the emergence of the cloud, bringing communication and information technologies together in a new, emerging ICT industry. ICT has the potential to help us meet some of our great societal challenges. We call this new emerging society — of which we have so far only seen the beginning — the Networked Society.
The Networked Society is what follows the Information Society (that we are living in today). Over the coming decades, technology advancements and infrastructure evolution will change the way we live, the way we work, the way markets function and the way societies act. In the Networked Society, everything that benefits from a connection will be connected. In this society, old barriers to learning, participation and economics are broken down and we will see new models, services and solutions to meet the global challenges we face. In the Networked Society, information and communications technology (ICT) is converging into a universal information infrastructure driven by the combined forces of mobility, broadband and cloud services.
As we move towards connecting 50 billion devices by 2020, the innovations that are creating the Networked Society never cease to exist. While some connected devices are creating incredible opportunities in health, education and utilities, others are just creative ways to promote an owner's brand. Ericsson came up with a report called ‘The Networked Society City Index' in May 2011 to identify the development of ICT-enabled benefits to cities. This was a comprehensive study of 26 indicators, analysing 25 cities around the world. The selection covered large cities, with an emphasis on geographical and economic diversity. ICT leadership aspects had also been considered.
A new societal order
The aim was to create a broader discussion about the efficiency and innovation gains that ICT provides and to stimulate cross-sector dialog on successful strategies for realising these benefits. The index and its component dimensions capture this ambition and identify the ways in which ICT enables triple-bottom-line development — social, economic and environmental — across society. We proudly witnessed two Indian cities — Delhi and Mumbai — being featured in the top 20 list.
The coming years will only see an increase in the rate of development in the information and communication infrastructure with performance rapidly increasing across the spectrum. Newer opportunities in the field of creation, learning, innovation and sustenance for a better tomorrow would see a positive impact moving forward. This is the beginning of a new societal order, the beginning of the Networked Society. But the road to Networked Society is not easy. The world needs a foundation to support this vision. A strong infrastructure is needed to compliment the growth. Countries require a transformational change towards connecting their populates. The Government should cooperate and pave the way for better infrastructure, which in turn would lay down the foundation of Networked Society. The Networked Society would have a profound impact on how we live, talk and interact, and would force us to rethink everything around us. When one person connects, their life changes for the better, but when everything and everyone will get connected, the world will change.
(The author is the Head of Region, Ericsson India.)
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