Name: Yann Gourvennec

From: France

Bio: Internet trailblazer since 1994-5

Area of Expertise: Entrepreneur/Business Leader

Topic: General, Overarching Remarks

Headline: The Internet will disappear

Nutshell: People will so get used to using the Internet all the time and anywhere that the super highway itself will be taken for granted and won't be a subject for discussion anymore.

Vision: In the past, everybody was tlaking about the Information Super Highway as if the road mattered more than the vehicle in which you fared or your destination.

My prediction is that the Internet will be ubiquitous and therefore, people will entirely forget about the super highway and only focus on what it enables.

Ten years from now, people might not even remember what the Internet is about, but they will use it all the time. Cars, planes and trains will be seamlessly connected (it has already started), your home hi-fi or home cinema will be connected, other household appliances will be connected, homes, public places and even streets will give permanent ubiquitous access to the Internet. PC's and all other devices, mobile or not will connect seamlessly to the Internet and will be sold and installed on an "always-connected" basis. The Internet as a consequence will become transparent and taken for granted.

Ten years from now and maybe even earlier than this, it will become as transparent and as mysterious to the average punter as the telephone network, a road or a piece of paper.

Date Submitted: 9/14/2006