The 'Stupid Network' approach to innovation Perspective By David S. Isenberg Incumbent carriers around the world are at a disadvantage. The cost of infrastructure has been falling at a much faster rate than carriers have been able to depreciate and replace their legacy networks. As a result, new entrants are technologically better placed to succeed in the liberalized telecoms environment. This is especially true in Europe, where for years the incumbent national carriers have built up centralized, proprietary, intelligent networks. Stupid Networks make no assumptions about voice or other content.
Users can put bits in at one end, and the same bits come out at the other.
Addressing, features and class of service are specified in the user's intelligent terminal, at the edge of the network. Furthermore, the Stupid Network's simple interface makes underlying network complexities irrelevant to the user. This creates an environment that fosters wild-eyed innovation, in which users can try out harebrained ideas without asking permission of a big bureaucracy. This unimpeded ability to innovate is most crucial. Think of the cost to humanity had Mosaic, the first Internet browser, not been invented.