Experts Gather in the Middle East to Discuss the Future of the Internet

Amsterdam, 7 October 2008 – The RIPE NCC (Network Coordination Centre) – an independent organisation that supports the infrastructure of the Internet for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia – will gather key industry figures from the Middle East to discuss Internet growth and innovation at RIPE 57. This will be the first event of its kind for Internet development in the region.

In attending this critical event, ISPs, telecommunications providers, government organisations and educational institutions from the region will get a unique opportunity to decide on Internet strategies to protect Internet innovation in the Middle East.

Over the past five years, IPv4 uptake for the region has increased by almost 150 per cent. The corresponding uptake for IPv6 has yet to reach significant levels, yet the allocation and installation of new address space is critical for the region's economic growth.

Hosted by Etisalat, RIPE 57 will provide an opportunity for Middle East decision makers to participate in and agree on strategies to safeguard the region's economic growth through responsible and forward-looking Internet infrastructure development, including the need for IPv6 uptake.

According to Abdulla Hashim, VP, Enterprise Solutions, Etisalat : “There is a huge need for IPv6 deployment across the Middle East in order to protect and ensure the healthy, fast-paced development of the Internet economy and the future of IP networks. It would be short-sighted not to see the development of world class Internet infrastructure as a key for the region's success in a global economy.”

The Managing Director of the RIPE NCC, Axel Pawlik, states: “RIPE Meetings play a key role in the development of the Internet and the way it's managed and structured.

“Continued success of the Internet in the Middle East will depend on free availability of IP address space. As IPv6 provides the necessary address space for future growth, we urge business and government leaders to take part in this critical event. Failure to adopt these new resources could mean a slowdown in the pace of Internet innovation.”

Sultan Al Shamsi, Manager, UAEnic said,: “This is the first time in history that a RIPE Meeting will take place in the Middle East, and we are honoured to host this landmark gathering. Now is the time to recognise that sustainable growth of the IPv4-based Internet is coming to an end and that it is time to move on, with IPv6 ready to sustain the impressive speed of Internet innovation in the Middle East and ensure a healthy Internet economy for our future.”

"Etisalat has been at the forefront of development of IPv6 in the Middle East and was the first in the region to obtain IPv6 allocation from RIPE. We've made significant progress in establishing peering with GCC providers in addition to establishing IPv6 testing network with educational institutes in the UAE. This meeting will provide a great opportunity to network and evaluate progress on IPv6 with our peers across the region."

Pawlik concludes: “Once the roadmap for Middle East success has been identified at RIPE 57, we will have well-established, open and widely supported mechanisms for Internet resource management that will meet the needs of all Internet stakeholders through the period of IPv4 exhaustion and IPv6 deployment.”

Notes to Editors

About the RIPE NCC

Founded in 1992, the RIPE NCC is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation that supports the infrastructure of the Internet. The most prominent activity of the RIPE NCC is to act as a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) providing global Internet resources and related services to a current membership base of around 5,500 members in over 70 countries.

These members consist mainly of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunication organisations and large corporations located in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia.

As one of the world's five RIRs, the RIPE NCC 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

The RIPE NCC also provides a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community. These services include the operation of K-root (one of the 13 root name servers), the Deployment of Internet Security Infrastructure (DISI) and DNS Monitoring (DNSMON).

As a result of its established position in the Internet industry, the RIPE NCC has played an important role in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), European Union (EU) workshops and government briefings on key issues in the current Internet landscape.

Media contacts:

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