The internet of the future?

New research claims to have found a scientific solution that enables future internet infrastructure to become completely open and programmable while carrying internet traffic at the speed of light.

The solution, developed by researchers in the High Performance Networks (HPN) group at the University of Bristol, introduces new concepts of open source optical internet enabled by optical white box and software-defined network technologies.

Dr Reza Nejabati, Reader in Optical Networks in the HPN group in the University of Bristol’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “Hardware and software technologies reported in this paper can potentially revolutionise optical network infrastructure the same way that Google Android and Apple iOS did for mobile phones. These technologies will hide complexity of optical networks and open them up for traditional programmers and application developers to create new types of internet applications taking advantage of speed of light.”

Dimitra Simeonidou, Professor of High Performance Networks and who leads the HPN group, added: “New internet technologies frequently emerge, but most of them rarely result in new and revolutionary internet applications. The technologies suggested could pave the way for the creation of new internet services and applications not previously possible or disruptive. The technologies could also potentially change the balance of power from vendors and operators that are monopolising the current internet infrastructure to wider users and service providers.”

The research is published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A journal.