The four dimensions that made the internet so successful

The global success of the internet is often taken for granted today, considering the number of users, their geographical spread and the level of usage. But what factors explain this success? How did they develop when no one could have predicted this level of achievement? 

The internet’s success is made up of multiple dimensions 

The internet’s success can be measured through four main dimensions (see below and Figure 1). 

• Scalability. The internet has grown from a handful of users in the 1960s to over two-thirds of the global population today. Not only has the number of users increased, but the traffic per user has also grown, showcasing the increased use of the internet and its incredible ability to scale.
• Flexibility. It has adapted to new network technologies. Fixed networks have upgraded from dial-up modems to broadband and fibre-optic networks. Mobile broadband was introduced and has evolved from 3G to 4G and now 5G. Wi-Fi hotspots are common, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks are being launched and brought into service.
• Adaptability. The internet has enabled new and unforeseen applications. It transformed from simply sharing files to enabling communication, entertainment, work and many other uses. Two major transformations have shaped our interaction with the internet – the emergence of the World Wide Web and mobile app stores.
• Resilience. The internet has proven to be resilient over time in the face of all the changes described above. It has handled challenges including increased congestion and security threats. This resilience was tested during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which significantly increased reliance on the internet.

Figure 1: Dimensions of internet success 

The foundations for this success are highlighted in Figure 2 below, showing how the original ideals guiding the development of the internet translated to important design principles underpinning the dimensions of success.

Figure 2: The foundations of internet success

The internet was built on guiding ideals

The early development of the internet was based on three guiding ideals:

• Openness. The internet is open to the development of new standards, adoption of new technology and entry of new networks.
• Simplicity. It is based on simple protocols acting as building blocks. A change in one protocol does not require changes in all protocols.
• Decentralisation. No single authority owns, operates or controls the internet. Instead, its development and governance are multi-stakeholder. 

The internet is built on specific design principles

The internet is built on the layering principle; at the bottom are the networks that we use to access the internet, and at the top the applications that we use while online. These applications are separated from the networks by the internet protocol (IP) in the middle, connecting the network and application layers, allowing new applications to emerge without changing network technologies, and vice versa.

At the network level, the internet is a network of networks. These networks must interconnect to route traffic from one user or application to another. The key design principle is that each network, such as a 4G mobile network or residential broadband network, can operate independently as long as they all use the same common internet protocols. This means new networks can join by simply connecting with existing ones, and networks can upgrade or change their technology independently of other networks.

At the application layer, the end-to-end principle means intelligence sits in end devices at the network’s edge, not in a centralised core computer. This allows applications to be developed and installed in the wide and growing variety of internet-enabled devices without changing all the networks.

These principles explain the dimensions of success. The internet has evolved from its early days of using dial-up access over traditional copper telephone lines to connect to mainframe computers for simple text-based tasks like email and file-sharing. It is now the modern, high-speed internet we use today for multimedia and real-time services on a wide variety of devices.