Each of these examples show that the Internet initiated new consuming habits and more sophisticated demands for information and services. These rapidly evolving needs and the omnipresent need for simplicity and access to information and communications drive the convergence of technologies. The trend towards technology convergence is already occurring. People can also send and retrieve email through their alphanumeric pagers or cellular phones. Consumers can watch television or listen to the radio through the computer.
People can send and receive phone calls and faxes through their computer.
All of these trends point towards a future information appliance, which will be a central information and communications hub for each household or individual. They can get television, radio, Internet access, home banking, phone, email, video conferencing, etc. And there would only need to be one ultra-highspeed pipeline into such a device for carrying all the different forms of information. The Internet thus initiated the trend towards the convergence of technologies by accelerating the evolution of consumers' needs. Then it enabled such a convergence because open standards allow different information to be transmitted using standard formats and different devices to communicate by standard protocols.