• What is the multi-stakeholder process?
• Who pays for the Internet’s infrastructure?
• What role will governments have in Internet governance?

Under an over-arching goal of ensuring the informed development of public policy relating to the Internet, the RIPE NCC has a number of areas of priority over the coming 12 months. These are:

• Increasing understanding of the benefits of Internet Exchange Points and local peering
• Building more effective regional engagement on Internet governance issues
• Engaging effectively with the ITU and its Member States on Internet governance

The RIPE NCC is eager to hear from all of our stakeholders, including the RIPE NCC membership and broader RIPE community, on what issues are important and how the RIPE NCC can most effectively represent its community. We facilitate this feedback through a range of forums and activities, including the RIPE Cooperation Working Group and RIPE NCC Regional Meetings.

Read the full article on RIPE Labs.

• Formation of ITAC Set To Safeguard Internet Development and Innovation Through Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance
• OECD Recognition for Open Industry Dialogue as a Driver for Safe and Effective Internet Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has welcomed representatives from the pre-eminent Internet technical organisations as partners in its work on communications policy issues – a step seen as highlighting the vital need for multistakeholder inputs into Internet-related discussions and the continued evolution of enhanced cooperation among stakeholders.

Referred to as the Internet Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) to the OECD's Information, Computer and Communications Policy Committee (ICCP), the group comprises a broad range of stakeholders from the Internet community (listed below). Through its commitment to the Internet's ethos of community, collaboration, and industry self-regulation, ITAC will provide counsel and the expertise of technically focused organisations to aid the OECD in its work on the Internet economy. ITAC's contribution will be delivered in a decentralised, networked approach to policy formulation for the Internet economy.

"By formally recognising ITAC, the OECD clearly values diverse opinions and open dialogue as vital components for effective development of the Internet," said Bill Graham, responsible for Strategic Global Engagement at the Internet Society (one of the founding members of ITAC and currently the facilitator of ITAC activities).

"The groundwork for ITAC was laid during the preparations for the OECD's Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy, held in Seoul, South Korea in 2008," explained Graham.

For the Ministerial Meeting, the OECD called on various stakeholder groups to provide informed inputs for the ministers' work. The organisations now comprising ITAC worked together to create the Technical Stakeholder Forum, which stressed the role of the open, collaborative, inclusive Internet Model of development, and called upon the ministers to preserve and promote the conditions that enable innovation and positive development on the Internet.

These contributions were acknowledged in the 'OECD Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy', which also called for reinforced "co-operative relationships and mutually beneficial collaboration with the Internet technical community."

Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC commented, "The recognition by the OECD of ITAC formalises the role that the technical community will play in helping to shape the policies and practices through a shared vision that will be developed as the Internet grows and continues to act as a catalyst for economic and social development all over the world."

On 15 January 2009, the OECD Council formally recognised the participation of ITAC and, at the OECD's ICCP Committee meeting in Paris this month, the Member Countries welcomed ITAC as an Internet community partner.

The founding members of ITAC are:

• 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
• 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2)
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
• Internet Society (ISOC)
• Internet2 (Internet2)
• Number Resource Organization (NRO) (comprising AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and the RIPE NCC)
• Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Details of ITAC's members, mission, and inputs are available on its website

Notes to Editors

About the Internet Technical Advisory Committee Members
The organisations participating in the Internet Technical Advisory Committee come from a wide range of functions from around the world. They work with governments, national and international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to pursue their objectives in a collaborative and inclusive manner. While each has its own mission and its own role to play, these organisations are motivated by a common vision of an open and accessible Internet, bringing shared economic and social benefits to all the world's citizens.

For more information, please contact:

Paul Rendek, RIPE NCC
Susannah Gray, RIPE NCC

Geoff Huston, APNIC Chief Scientist, participated in a panel discussion on the convergence of networks and related services with a range of ministers and CEOs. The objective of this session was to discuss policy and regulatory frameworks and to identify where changes are needed to foster convergence and the next generation of networks, understand the implications of convergence for consumers and highlight the opportunities and challenges for transitioning to the newer version of the Internet protocol, IPv6, and its role in enabling growth of the Internet.

The meeting closed with the ministers releasing a declaration that stated that the adoption of IPv6 would be encouraged, in particular through its timely adoption by governments as well as large private sector users of IPv4 addresses. This was a positive outcome from the perspective of the RIRs who issued a press release at the start of the OECD meeting that detailed some of the key issues relating to the depletion of IPv4 addresses and the transition to IPv6. Key sections of this important and influential release are quoted below:

The RIRs are responsible for managing the allocation, assignment and registration of Internet number resources (IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System (AS) Numbers).

With approximately 85% of all available IPv4 Internet addresses already in use by May 2008, experts predict that the remaining stock of unallocated IPv4 addresses will be consumed by around 2011. This may have an impact on new Internet users and users of Internet devices that are not IPv6 enabled. In contrast, the pool of available IPv6 numbers exceeds 340 billion billion billion billion.

Internet addresses are allocated on an "as-needed" basis. Firstly, they are allocated to the RIRs from a central pool and then each RIR distributes them within their region. This system prevents any one country from running out of addresses significantly before its neighbours within the same region, and ensures that the supply to all regions is maintained for as long as possible.

Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist at APNIC will call for a significant acceleration of investment in the infrastructure vital for effective IPv6 adoption, as part of his speech on Internet industry challenges:

"At present, only a small percentage of the Internet infrastructure is IPv6 compatible. Significant investment in the infrastructure is required to make the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 viable. The cost of migrating the Internet infrastructure to IPv6 is estimated to be anywhere between USD50 billion and USD75 billion depending on the efficiency with which the appropriate infrastructure is readied. The longer investment in this infrastructure is deferred, the greater the risk of Internet growth slowing down and additional costs being incurred."

Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC states: "IPv6 is vital to the Internet economy. In order to sustain this rapidly growing, global industry, we urge all stakeholders to help accelerate the widespread deployment of IPv6. We've already seen the EU make a positive declaration of intent regarding IPv6 planning and we're confident that IPv6 space will provide a platform for innovation in IP-based services and applications as long as the infrastructure is made ready."

Tarek Mohamed Kamel, Minister for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt, will be speaking alongside Geoff Huston at the OECD Ministerial Meeting. Kamel comments: "The current dialogue on IPv6 between global governments, business leaders, technical experts and academics is crucial to ensure that users around the world continue to benefit from the innovation that new infrastructure and new Internet space will bring. Our efforts to ensure the free and open access attributed to the development of the Internet must be continued so that we can fully realise the benefits in the near future."

The RIRs are responsible for managing the allocation, assignment and registration of Internet number resources (IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System (AS) Numbers).

With approximately 85% of all available IPv4 Internet addresses already in use by May 2008, experts predict that the remaining stock of unallocated IPv4 addresses will be consumed by around 2011. This may have an impact on new Internet users and users of Internet devices that are not IPv6 enabled. In contrast, the pool of available IPv6 numbers will exceed 340 billion billion billion.

Internet addresses are allocated on an 'as-needed' basis. Firstly, they are allocated to the RIRs from a central pool and then each RIR distributes them within their region. This system prevents any one country from running out of addresses significantly before its neighbours within the same region, and ensures that the supply to all regions is maintained for as long as possible.

Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist at APNIC will call for a significant acceleration of investment in the infrastructure vital for effective IPv6 adoption, as part of his speech on Internet industry challenges:
“At present, only a small percentage of the Internet infrastructure supports IPv6. Significant investment in the infrastructure of the network is required to enable the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. The cost of migrating the Internet infrastructure to IPv6 is significant when considering the global scope of the task, but the cost of not making this investment will end up being far higher. And, ultimately, its the end user population who will have to bear this cost. The longer this investment in IPv6 deployment is deferred the greater the risk of costly fractures in the fabric of the network, and additional costs being incurred.”

Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC states: “IPv6 is vital to the Internet economy. In order to sustain this rapidly growing, global industry, we urge all stakeholders to help accelerate the widespread deployment of IPv6. We have already seen the EU make a positive declaration of intent regarding IPv6 planning and we are confident that IPv6 space will provide a platform for innovation in IP-based services and applications as long as the infrastructure is in place.’

Tarek Mohamed Kamel, Minister for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt, is speaking alongside Geoff Huston at the OECD Ministerial Meeting. Kamel comments: “The current dialogue on IPv6 between global governments, business leaders, technical experts and academics is crucial to ensure that users around the world continue to benefit from the innovation that new infrastructure and new Internet space will bring. Our efforts to ensure the free and open access attributed to the development of the Internet must be continued so that we can fully realise the benefits in the near future.”

Notes to Editors

About the Number Resource Organization (NRO)

The NRO exists to protect the pool of unallocated Internet numbers (IP addresses and AS numbers) and serves as a coordinating mechanism for the five RIRs to act collectively on matters relating to the interests of RIRs.

About the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)

Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are independent, not-for-profit membership organisations that support the infrastructure of the Internet through technical coordination. There are five RIRs in the world today. Currently, the Internet Assigned Numbers Association (IANA) allocates blocks of IP addresses and ASNs, known collectively as Internet number resources, to the RIRs, who then distribute them to their members within their own specific service regions. RIR members include Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications organisations, large corporations, governments, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders, including end users.

The RIR model of open, transparent participation has proven successful at responding to the rapidly changing Internet environment. Each RIR holds one to two open meetings per year, as well as facilitating online discussion by the community, to allow the open exchange of ideas from the technical community, the business sector, civil society, and government regulators.
The five RIRs are:
AfriNIC - Africa region
APNIC - Asia and Pacific region
ARIN - Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States
LACNIC - Latin America and parts of the Caribbean
RIPE NCC - Europe, Parts of Asia and the Middle East

Each RIR performs a range of critical functions including:

• The reliable and stable allocation of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and AS Number resources)
• The responsible storage and maintenance of this registration data
• The provision of an open, publicly accessible database where this data can be accessed
• RIRs also provide a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community.

Media contacts:

For media enquiries please contact:
Blaise Hammond or Lucie Smith, Racepoint Group

tel: +44 20 8752 2274 / +44 20 8752 2271
email: 

lucie.smith _at_ racepointgroup _dot_ com / blaise.hammond _at_ racepointgroup _dot_ com

The RIRs are responsible for managing the allocation, assignment and registration of Internet number resources (IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System (AS) Numbers).

With approximately 85% of all available IPv4 Internet addresses already in use by May 2008, experts predict that the remaining stock of unallocated IPv4 addresses will be consumed by around 2011. This may have an impact on new Internet users and users of Internet devices that are not IPv6 enabled. In contrast, the pool of available IPv6 numbers will exceed 340 billion billion billion.

Internet addresses are allocated on an 'as-needed' basis. Firstly, they are allocated to the RIRs from a central pool and then each RIR distributes them within their region. This system prevents any one country from running out of addresses significantly before its neighbours within the same region, and ensures that the supply to all regions is maintained for as long as possible.

Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist at APNIC will call for a significant acceleration of investment in the infrastructure vital for effective IPv6 adoption, as part of his speech on Internet industry challenges:

“At present, only a small percentage of the Internet infrastructure supports IPv6. Significant investment in the infrastructure of the network is required to enable the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. The cost of migrating the Internet infrastructure to IPv6 is significant when considering the global scope of the task, but the cost of not making this investment will end up being far higher. And, ultimately, it’s the end user population who will have to bear this cost. The longer this investment in IPv6 deployment is deferred the greater the risk of costly fractures in the fabric of the network, and additional costs being incurred.”

Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC states: “IPv6 is vital to the Internet economy. In order to sustain this rapidly growing, global industry, we urge all stakeholders to help accelerate the widespread deployment of IPv6. We have already seen the EU make a positive declaration of intent regarding IPv6 planning and we are confident that IPv6 space will provide a platform for innovation in IP-based services and applications as long as the infrastructure is in place.’

Tarek Mohamed Kamel, Minister for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt, is speaking alongside Geoff Huston at the OECD Ministerial Meeting. Kamel comments: “The current dialogue on IPv6 between global governments, business leaders, technical experts and academics is crucial to ensure that users around the world continue to benefit from the innovation that new infrastructure and new Internet space will bring. Our efforts to ensure the free and open access attributed to the development of the Internet must be continued so that we can fully realise the benefits in the near future.”

Notes to Editors

About the Number Resource Organization (NRO)

The NRO serves as a coordinating mechanism for the five RIRs to act collectively on matters relating to the interests of RIRs.
http://www.nro.net

About the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)

Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are independent, not-for-profit membership organisations that support the infrastructure of the Internet through technical coordination.

There are five RIRs in the world today. Currently, the Internet Assigned Numbers Association (IANA) allocates blocks of IP addresses and ASNs, known collectively as Internet number resources, to the RIRs, who then distribute them to their members within their own specific service regions. RIR members include Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications organisations, large corporations, governments, academic institutions and industry stakeholders, including end users.

The five RIRs are:

AfriNIC - Africa region
http://www.afrinic.net

APNIC - Asia and Pacific region
http://www.apnic.net

ARIN - Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States
http://www.arin.net

LACNIC - Latin America and parts of the Caribbean
http://www.lacnic.net/en/index.html

RIPE NCC - Europe, Parts of Asia and the Middle East
http://www.ripe.net

Each RIR performs a range of critical functions including:

• The reliable and stable allocation of Internet number resources ( IPv4, IPv6 and AS Number resources)
• The responsible storage and maintenance of this registration data
• The provision of an open, publicly accessible database where this data can be accessed

RIRs also provide a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community.

Media contacts:

Racepoint Group
+44 20 8752 2274
+44 20 8752 3222
Lucie Smith lucie.smith _at_ racepointgroup _dot_ com
Blaise Hammond blaise.hammond _at_ racepointgroup _dot_ com

Seoul, Korea, 16 June 2008 – The Internet technical community today issues a memorandum to Governments, civil society and the private sector to ensure that human capacities are enhanced or enabled through creativity and confidence and that the convergence of Internet technology is preserved.

Members of the Internet technical community have gathered from across the globe to share knowledge and perspective on how best to safeguard Internet development and innovation with attendees of the OECD Ministerial.

As OECD ministers outline a framework for government actions over the next decade, the Internet technical community urges that tomorrow’s policies and practices must grow from a shared vision that will be developed as the Internet grows and continues to spur economic and social development around the world.

A multi-stakeholder model of decision making and a full commitment to adopting emerging technologies and standards are critical for long-term Internet policy development. Additionally, the memorandum calls for member states to:

• Fuel creativity by recognising that the open and decentralised nature of the Internet is fundamental for continued innovation and creativity
• Build confidence by recognising that Internet users’ confidence in the stability, reliability and security of the Internet is essential to the success of the future global economy
• Maximise the benefit from convergence by ensuring that neither government regulation nor the economic power of monopolies delays or prevents growth of the Internet by limiting the provision of new, better, cheaper, faster or more innovative Internet-related services.

The open and transparent nature of Internet policy and technology development processes is intrinsic to the ongoing success of the Internet. The memorandum urges OECD member states to support the development and adoption of emerging technologies and standards to assist with the evolution of the Internet, including preparation for and uptake of IPv6 protocol.

Lynn St Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC) comments: “Member states must recognise that a multi stakeholder model of decision making has proven to be the most effective when it comes to Internet policy development. The Internet’s future depends on a renewed commitment to the principles that have made it so successful to date. We believe that the principles outlined in our Memorandum will ensure the positive, innovative and responsible development of the Internet.

"The Internet has always been characterized by community and collaboration, not by centralized control. That continued commitment was clearly demonstrated here today.”

Notes to Editors

About the Internet technical community

The organisations participating in the Internet technical community forum come from a wide range of entities from around the world. They work with governments, national and international organizations, civil society and the private sector to pursue their objectives in a collaborative and inclusive manner. While each has its own mission and its own role to play, the Internet technical organizations are motivated by a common vision of an open and accessible Internet, bringing shared economic and social benefits to all the world’s citizens.

For more information please contact:

Gerard Ross, Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society ross _at_ isoc _dot_ org

Racepoint Group
+44(0)020 8752 2274
+44 (0)20 8752 3222

The RIPE NCC has presented the ICCP-run Working Party on Communication and Information Services Policy (CISP) with an overview of the RIPE community's position on IPv4 depletion, IPv6 deployment and other key issues in the current Internet landscape. In addition, the RIPE NCC has been working with the working party to formulate a paper on the future of the Internet economy which will support high-level ministerial consultation.

"This is a very important contribution in helping governments develop an informed understanding about the future of the Internet economy," said Paul Rendek, Head of External Relations and Communications, RIPE NCC. "We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with the OECD and providing them with all the necessary Regional Internet Registry and technical input relating to IP address space distribution."

The findings from the ICCP studies will be presented to governments at an important ministerial meeting in June 2008. The meeting, to be held by the OECD, will take place in Seoul, Korea, from 17-18 June 2008. The RIPE NCC will attend as part of a delegation representing the Internet technical community.

More information about this meeting.