Video, P2P in two years to "burst" the Internet - Internet video streaming P2P- driving home

The seemingly vast network could be exhausted in two or three years if operators do not invest more quickly in expanding the Internet, according to new research.

According to independent analyst Nemertes Research Group, the data deluge of streaming video, interactive video, peer-to-peer file transfers and music downloads could overwhelm the Internet by 2010, and the solution is a $137 billion investment by core carriers to increase Internet capacity. North America alone will need to spend $42 billion to $55 billion over the next three to five years, but operators are actually planning to spend only half that amount.

The report claims to be the first to apply Moore's Law to study the pace of innovative adoption of the Internet. While core fiber and router switch resources can be easily upgraded to support endless user needs, the Internet's infrastructure is largely limited to three to five years, especially in North America.

The report also confirms what the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) has long feared. IIA focuses on upgrading broadband networks in the United States, and its members include AT& T, Level 3 Communications, Corning, Americans for Tax Reform, the American Institute of the Blind, and others have been warning that the future flow of video and other web content data will overwhelm the Internet.

According to the IAA, Internet users will create 161 exabytes of data this year, which is actually a positive factor for Internet users and businesses. One EB is equivalent to 1,000 petabytes, or 10,000GB, which is roughly equivalent to 50,000 HDTV videos.

According to comScore, three-quarters of U.S. Internet users watched more than 8.3 billion video streams in May, averaging 158 minutes per person.