History of the Internet: The Growing Role of IoT

Internet, born as an experiment Designed to connect teams of researchers, it has evolved into a planetary-scale infrastructure that has reshaped society. Over the course of six decades, it has progressed in three phases by our count: first connecting computers, then mobile devices, and later connecting all devices. But he is This is just the beginning. Because now there come new frontiers of connected intelligence and then, later, perceptionFinally, we suggest, represents A kind of global or ubiquitous connectivity, and eventually even connectivity down to the quantum scale.

Throughout each phase, connectivity has been the unifying principle, although with each successive phase comes new form Of connection. The story begins with connected packets of data over a fixed network of large machines. This is followed by massively connecting everyone as well as mobility manner Of machines—not just mobile and fixed computing devices. Having already progressed through the first three phases of the Internet (and now entering the fourth), the world today has witnessed a steady expansion of human potential, while unlocking new industries, and reshaping the way everyone connected to the Internet lives and works.

pointing towards Shakespeare’s as you like ItOur diagram of the 7 stages of the Internet is as follows. However, unlike the Bard’s “7 Ages of Man”, each era of the Internet does not end when the next era begins. In other words, the 7 stages of the Internet are not sequential but additive. Each stage builds and expands Of earlierIn this process the foundation is being laid for what is yet to come.

Step 1: Internet

The original Internet was conceived in the 1970s to interconnect computer networks. Its unprecedented aspect lies not only in its architecture but also in its principle of openness. by adopting common protocolDiverse networks can connect regardless of their location. The Internet has transformed disparate systems into “networks of networks”, making unprecedented collaboration possible across institutions and borders. Initial applications like Email and File Transfer Exhibited That connectivity can democratize access to information.

In the early 1990s, world wide web A unified framework was introduced: URLs as addresses, HTTP for communication, HTML as a common language, and the browser as a universal interface. between 1991 and ’93The Web transformed the Internet from a research network into a global platform for information exchange, paving the way for widespread adoption.

The next big leap forward involved mobility. Early to mid 2000sAs mobile Internet devices proliferated and smartphones matured, connectivity became portable. The Internet was no longer tied to the desktop; It traveled in pockets, purses and messenger bags.

The new portability of the Internet connected billions of people around the world for the first time, reshaping communications, commerce, and entertainment. social network flourished, Mobile payments reach those who do not have access to services like traditional banking and ride sharing And food delivery became an everyday convenience. Connectivity had changed from being deskbound and centered around one’s PC to becoming an always-on, portable, digital resource network woven into daily life. app economy This soon followed, where any service or application could be accessed instantly at our fingertips.

Connectivity expanded beyond PCs and mobile devices to all digital devices with any networking capability, creating today’s internet of things (IoT). Sensors, devices and other equipment in homes, factories, cars and cities Stream Telemetry data around the clock turns the Internet into an invisible nervous system connecting the physical and digital worlds. IoT opens up new possibilities in health care, manufacturing, logisticsand agriculture such as connected tractors and soil sensors that enable smart farming, increasing yields while conserving resources.

Step 4: Internet of AI Agents

The most profound change going on now is the rise of AI Agent. Unlike IoT devices which only transmit data, the agent can Understand, Reason, Act and Collaborate, they are no longer inactive endpoints Rather, they are independent actors shaping the digital and physical economies.

Two dimensions define this stage:

• Digital AI Agent: This category includes software-based units such as coding copilots, digital assistants, workflows orchestrator, And trading algorithms. They live in a digital world but shape economies ServiceFor example, consider a coding copilot helps Collaborate with developers and other agents to debug, refactor, etc. Adaptation Software in real time.

• Physical AI Agent: In contrast, physical AI agents are systems that operation In both digital and physical environments such as autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial robots, and medical devices. A self-driving car that fuses LIDAR’sradar, and ISAC (Integrated Sensing and Communications, Today physical AI is an increasingly prominent type of agent. This agent explores its environment, avoids collisions, and coordinates with nearby vehicles and traffic systems. ISAC acts as part of the vehicle here, providing instant-by-instant environmental awareness that allows the car to navigate without human control.

We call Phase 4 not only the era of AI agents, but also the “Internet of AI agents”. This is because value arises not from isolated intelligence but from Networked Intelligence. Agents will communicate, collaborate and coordinate in real time across networks across the earth and oceans and skies and beyond, creating new forms of productivity, trust and resilience.

Step 5: Internet of the Senses

If Phase 4 brings intelligence through agents, the next phase of Internet integration is perception, The Internet of Senses expands connectivity from sharing to exchanging information Experience,

Two dimensions define this stage:

• multisensory communication Expands the scope of the network beyond just text, audio and video. In the era of the Internet of Senses, networks will carry signals that convey the modalities of touch, taste, and smell. Advances in haptic wearables, digital olfaction, and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) will allow shoppers to “feel” the texture of clothing online or “feel” a perfume before purchasing. In health care, doctors will examine patients remotely using haptic gloves that transmit the sense of feeling. Meanwhile, education will become more immersive, enabling students to explore history or science through tactile and sensory experiences.

• ISAC at the network level: Unlike the era of AI agents, where intelligence was embedded with its own sensing and communication systems, here Network is the thing that works for understanding, Programmable surfaces and meta-materials will shape the signals, enabling motion detection, distance measurement, and localization as part of system communications. For example, smart cities will detect traffic flow and crowd movement in real time, feeding their “sensings” of the environment directly into their networks.

Internet of Senses will create connectivity Deep and context-aware, Enriching the interaction between humans and machines and laying the foundation for embedded intelligence in the physical world.

Step 6: Ubiquitous Internet

As billions of devices and AI agents come online, the importance of seamless coverage increases. Phase 6, the Ubiquitous Internet, addresses this network-level need by integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial infrastructure such as cellular networks, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, local area networks, fiber, satellite, and high-altitude platforms into a unified global network.

Ultimately, a Ubiquitous Internet will ensure connectivity everywhere in remote villages, open oceans, sky, orbit, lunar space and beyond. This large-scale network will underpin the next advances in autonomy, perceptionand intelligence, enabling AI agents and human users alike operation Without boundaries.

The final frontier in connectivity will be the quantum internet, where quantum communications, networking, sensing and computing converge. Unlike the classical Internet, which broadcasts bits, the quantum Internet distributes qubits Through entanglement and teleportation, enabling capabilities beyond anything that can be achieved by traditional systems. Early demonstrations are already visible quantum Internet capability. Entangled qubits transmitted over optical fibers and satellites will one day create ultra-secure communications channels that will be resistant to interception, while quantum sensors achieve unprecedented accuracy in measuring time, motion, and the environment. Together, these innovations will open up possibilities such as navigation without GPS and ultra-sensitive environmental monitoring.

even bigger Is The promise of quantum networking, which would interconnect distributed quantum processors into a planetary-scale connected computer system. AI systems will run on multiple quantum computers simultaneously, working simultaneously on the same set of problems. For example, expect integrated quantum AI systems to accelerate the creation of new medicines and optimize routes for complex supply and distribution chains.

The quantum internet will not replace the classical internet but will enhance it by overlaying quantum signals with classical bits. Just as the Internet of Agents accelerates intelligence, the Quantum Internet will supercharge that intelligence by combining it with the laws of physics at the smallest scales: weaving together sensing, security, computation, and AI into a single global system of connectivity.

Comparison of 7 stages of Internet

Overall, the 7 stages of the Internet above show how connectivity has expanded From Workstations and Mainframes From mobile devices to people and the physical world. We have taken lessons from the first three phases to predict many new phases coming next: this includes AI agents, senses, network integration of everything from the classical world, and finally into the quantum realm. To highlight how each stage is ultimately built, here is a side-by-side view of the 7 stages of the Internet:

As shown above, the Internet has evolved in both vertical and horizontal. Vertically, each phase has added new layers of capability, from hosts to people to devices to agents, building on a shared foundation of connectivity. Horizontally, new paradigms have often been moving in parallel With existing network: fixed and mobile networks co-exist, IoT expanded along with human communication. And in the future, quantum channels will share the same fiber as classical signals at different wavelengths.

The combination of layering and parallel expansion has made the Internet flexible, scalable, and constantly transformative. Meanwhile, at every level, connectivity has adapted to new demands – making the Internet not just a network of endpoints, but a network itself. cloth cloth, Supporting diversity while promoting integration.

Each phase of the Internet – from networks to people, things to agents, senses to ubiquity to the quantum world – has and will continue to expand the foundation of connectivity. Crosses the boundaries of each of the 7 stages of the Internet Of earlier phase, as well as opening new frontiers.

as well as the internet enters into Phase 4, the limited mandate to transfer only data packets, has long since ended. The Internet today and in its future stages is becoming the intelligent, flexible and universal fabric on which the world’s digital future rests. And in the age of AI, connectivity is not just the foundation. it is growing rapidly Intelligence only.