Future traffic demands and characteristics from a media perspective

Abstract

Providing topical information and entertainment began with wall paintings, the spoken word and face-to-face performance, then the addition of the written and printed word along with illustrations and pictures, followed by audio recording. In the early 1920s, regular broadcast radio services began, followed by television in the late 1930s, and this has provided the basis of broadcast media we know today. These innovations frequently pushed boundaries and challenged the status quo, but not all of these challenges were technical by any means. However, it could be argued that the development of accessible technologies has been fundamental to the successful deployment of information and entertainment media in all their forms throughout history. Today, the merging of audio and video media with a whole range of digital services is becoming commonplace. With the ability of such services to develop new approaches in supporting people’s everyday living experiences, this will take communication networks into a new era central to the way we live. This paper postulates that the historical trends with audio and video media developments from the early 1900s will continue to push future boundaries, and attempts to highlight the key demands and the developing trends from a communication network point of view.