Predictions:What will happend to WANs and LANs in the future?

• Prediction: Many companies will eliminate their modem pools and use Internet service providers
• Prediction: Future exchanges will have direct interconnects to Internet (to cut out other Internet providers)
• Prediction: cellular Interworking units will have direct connections to the Internet

Consolidation of ISPs starting:

• UUNET Technologies + MFS merger + AOL +ANS + CompuServer + ... = WorldCom
• Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) [now runs BARRnet (Bay Area) and NEARnet (New England)]

Big players - new alliances forming

Bernard J. Ebbers, WorldCom President and CEO - cites figures that predict:

Less than 1% of the telecommunications traffic by the year 2002 will be voice calls.

Prediction: More and more firms will outsource management of (all) their networks.

Prediction: Most products will be managed via the network, therefore you need to know: