What will the web bring in 2010?

2009 is nearly over, and what a year it has been for the web. Google has been the biggest mover and shaker of the year, with several exciting announcements, including Wave and Chrome OS.

Microsoft has launched a new OS too, and what's more, people seem to like it - undoubtedly good news after the Windows Vista fiasco.

But next-generation access (NGA) has probably been the biggest talking point in the UK this year and, more than likely, it will be in 2010, too.

As I've said before, 2010 will be a crucial year for the deployment of super-fast broadband in the UK. BT will need to keep hitting targets, as it already is, but much more important will be the general election.

A Conservative victory could see plans to deploy an NGA network capable of reaching 90 per cent of the population by 2017 scrapped, which would be bad news unless private investors and BT can be persuaded to do more to help.

The election will also affect the contentious Digital Economy Bill and its plans to deal with illegal file-sharing. However, it isn't clear whether the Tories would be more inclined to listen to consumer groups and ISPs and drop the current government's plans to cut suspected pirates off without the chance to plead their case.

But what else will we see in 2010? Well, there's likely to be a greater emphasis on mobile, web-connected devices. We might finally see a smartphone that can compete with the iPhone in terms of its web-browsing capabilities - in fact, it may have already arrived in the shape of the Motorola Droid, also known as the Milestone here in the UK.

There should be Chrome OS devices galore in the second half of the year – mainly netbooks, but there is a chance that some creative manufacturer will come up with a larger, more powerful system based on Google's open source OS.

Frustratingly, though, there could be bigger and more sophisticated security threats in 2010, too. Evidence suggests that botnets are becoming more self-sufficient, which means more spam and malware coming our way.

Hopefully, though, the multiplicity of competing platforms will deter cybercriminals from standing in the way of 2010's mobile revolution, though with the recent worms targeting the iPhone, it's hard to be sure.

So 2010, our expectations are high – don't let us down!