Kroes: Future Internet Needs Partnerships, Standards

Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice president and commissioner for the Digital Agenda spoke today about the future of the internet.

In Valencia, Spain for a conference, she emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships, characterised innovation as “the only way to remain a global player,” and said small and medium-sized enterprises are key job generators and should be included in funding processes.

Kroes asked that information and communication technologies (ICTs) be “fully integrated into our efforts to create new growth.” She cited a need to “pick up the pace in the future internet race.”

A planned area of investment is in the development of an “Open Service Sphere” – a European-wide framework where countless innovators could independently create services. This might mean sharing clinical data to improve healthcare, or “guiding city travellers towards the best route and the best means of transport,” she said.

This future would be one in which “all companies and individuals can freely develop applications that work in a range of computing environments,” she said, which means the development of technical standards. Standards “do not cost much to develop, but failing to agree standards can cost us greatly” both in terms of failed markets and in terms of failing to safeguard the public interest, Kroes said.

Read the statement here.