World's Leading Internet Standards Body Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Reston, VA - 16th January 2006 - Today, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Society (ISOC) celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IETF, the world's leading Internet standards development body.

The IETF is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. Its principal task today is the development and publication of technical specifications and standards for basic Internet protocols. It is open to any interested individual.

The first IETF meeting was held on the afternoon of January 16, 1986, in San Diego, California. As a community-driven activity the IETF went on to pioneer a unique, open process for standards development. Open to all, and based on principles such as "rough consensus and running code", the IETF has enabled the development of standards that have supported every aspect of the Internet's phenomenal growth.

"The IETF is unique," said Brian Carpenter, IETF Chair. "Unlike other standards bodies, there is very little in the way of formal hierarchy and there are no membership requirements or fees. The IETF welcomes broad participation by anyone interested in the future technical evolution and stability of the Internet - and IETF standards are available to all, without charge." "There is global recognition of the achievements of the IETF in its support of the development of Internet technology. As the demands on the Internet increase, the IETF clearly has a vital role to play in ensuring that Internet technologies continue to evolve in a coherent and coordinated manner," said Leslie Daigle, chair of the Internet Architecture Board which provides architectural oversight of IETF activities.

"The success of the IETF has largely been due to a pragmatic, consensus-based approach to technology standards development," noted Lynn St.Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC). "Many of the principles of cooperation and collaboration that were developed in the IETF are now being successfully applied in other global forums. ISOC is proud to be associated with the IETF - we value its members' accomplishments over the last 20 years and look forward to celebrating these achievements over the course of 2006."

ISOC has declared 2006 "The Year of the IETF" and will be running several activities during the year in celebration of the IETF's 20th anniversary.

ABOUT THE IETF

The IETF (

) is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. It is open to any interested individual.

ABOUT ISOC

The Internet Society (

) is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 13 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Peter Godwin Communications Manager, Internet Society E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@isoc.org

4, rue des Falaises 1205 Geneva Switzerland