Why open and interoperable Internet infrastructure is key to the Internet’s continued success

Part 1 - Lead Organizer

Contact Person

Adrian Wan

Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate)

Internet Society

Designation

Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy

Gender

Male

Economy of Residence

Singapore

Primary Stakeholder Group

Technical Community

Part 2 - Session Proposal

Your proposal is for

Main Conference (Day 1-3)

Session Title

Why open and interoperable Internet infrastructure is key to the Internet’s continued success

Track

Inclusion Sustainability Trust

Session Format

Panel Discussion

Where do you plan to organize your session?

Virtual / online

Specific Issues for Discussion

The Internet has evolved rapidly over the last couple of decades and today underpins just about every aspect of the economy, from logistics to healthcare, and from education to finance. Yet, most people are generally unaware of the infrastructure that allows us to use all the applications and services we depend on every day. This also often translates to indifference on issues related to such infrastructure — until things go wrong and services get affected. This session seeks to draw attention to some key parts of the Internet’s technical infrastructure — from international Internet gateways to DNS servers, and from routers/switches to IXPs and CDNs — the roles they play, and the need to ensure they remain secure, trustworthy, resilient, and interoperable. It will look at how all these different elements of the Internet infrastructure fit and work together to make the global and open Internet function. The session will also discuss how the need for reliability and resilience has become ever more important, and what we need to do to ensure the Internet’s infrastructure is able to continue to support and sustain the growth in Internet use.

Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF

The pandemic has shown how important the Internet is for us today. It has become a lifeline, allowing us to learn, work, and society to continue functioning in the shadow of lockdowns and travel restrictions. While the Internet was able to handle the demands placed on it, we cannot take it for granted. As the world becomes ever more dependent on digital technologies, there is a need to ensure that the core infrastructure remains secure, open, and interoperable. It also needs to remain free from interference and disruption from state and non-state actors alike. This session resonates with elements of all three thematic areas. No background or technical knowledge is needed for participants. Using concrete examples, panelists will discuss the principles behind the Internet’s core infrastructure and introduce the key features that underpin the Internet’s success. The session will help participants obtain a better understanding of how the Internet functions, and how certain policy and regulatory decisions could impact the Internet. More importantly, they will be able to understand what actions will allow the Internet to reach its full potential – and bring connectivity, innovation, and empowerment to everyone.

Methodology / Agenda

1. Presentation on core infra and how they interconnect (10-15 mins) 2. Open discussion/Q&A (45-50 mins) To facilitate an interactive dialogue, the moderator will introduce leading questions to keep the audience engaged and lead them to consider the matter thoughtfully and systematically: - What makes the Internet the Internet? - What has made the Internet a global success? - How can we work together to raise awareness about Internet infrastructure to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and trustworthy Internet for all? - Besides infrastructure, what else is needed for us to enjoy an Internet as a force for good? For instance, an Internet that is open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy? - How do you want the Internet to be like, say, 50 years from now? Are we going in the right direction?

Please provide 3 subject matter tags that best describe your session.

#InternetInfrastructure, #CapacityBuilding, #Internet4All

Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.

The nature of the topic requires technical experts in the area of Internet and networking infrastructure who are able to draw insights relevant to a general audience. Meanwhile, to ensure a diverse group of participants will be able to benefit from the discussion, the contributors will be ready to make interventions from non-technical perspectives. As such, they represent diversity in background, geographies, stakeholder groups, and gender.