Cognitive interconnections

Introduction. Originally conceived as a non-commercial infrastructure, the Internet has gradually morphed into the largest ‘connectivity machine’ ever built. Business, entertainment, social life and politics are heavily reliant on the Web, which in turn requires a fully-operational network. Yet, unlike any other complex machine, the Internet has not been built with the knowledge of what it was later supposed to be doing. So now, many worry that it will fail under the strain of time- and dataintensive applications. HD Video, Cloud Services and the Internet of Things are already making this issue apparent. What will happen when new applications that are not yet in sight emerge? In this lecture I will explain why the time is ripe for a complete overhaul of the net, highlighting its actual flaws. I will discuss the network mechanisms that will help to shape the next-generation Internet, focusing on the prospects and hurdles of ‘cognitive’ networking.