The Internet is a phenomenal success, but problems and weaknesses in it have become apparent, and this has spurred a search for new technologies and network architectures. Although technical innovation will remain fundamental to the Internet's evolution, the importance of this key infrastructure for society as a whole means that economic aspects will be critical in determining what innovations are adopted. This project, therefore, seeks to investigate -- both qualitatively and quantitatively -- how economic factors mediate the eventual success of new network architectures and technologies. Aspects of interest include quantifying the benefits of virtualization in enabling different levels of network integration; evaluating the effect of a dominant incumbent (today's Internet) on emerging new architectures; and devising models for quantifying the value of architectural flexibility and openness in facilitating technology adoption and service creation in the presence of market uncertainties.
The intellectual merit of the proposed research is in developing an economic framework for reasoning about network technologies, architecture alternatives and trade-offs. The goal is to inform the design of new network architectures by accounting for both their technical dimensions, and the economic mechanisms that will mediate their success or failure. The broader impact of the project will be in helping select network solutions that are likely to succeed in the market place. The project will also foster a multi-disciplinary curriculum involving economics, business and engineering perspectives. This will both better prepare engineering students to succeed in a world where understanding of economical forces is of paramount importance, and promote interactions and collaboration among engineering and business students.
