Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 18:17:17 DNT From: Frode Greisen Press release 29 Sep 1992 ------------- EBONE continues in 1993 ======================= According to the Ebone 92 Memorandum of Understanding, the Ebone partners gathered in Vienna on Sep. 23 to discuss the future of Ebone. Since Ebone is the only pan-European IP backbone today the partners agreed to continue the Ebone during 1993. The organizational framework will be much like it is today, being an open backbone and building on active cooperation between the partners. A new meeting is planned for the Fall of 1993 to discuss possible changes in the organizational framework and possible technical integration scenarios for Ebone in 1994 or later. The following major new principles were agreed for 1993: - The sharing of costs and resources will be done in a more fair way. The model for this was agreed at the meeting. - Intercontinental connectivity will be included in the shared resources. - Operational and overall management will be included in the cost sharing scheme. This includes the Ebone Operations Team in Stockholm and at the Ebone Boundary System sites and part time service of Bernhard Stockman acting as Ebone Action Team chairman. The RARE secretariat gives administrative support and Frode Greisen acts as Ebone general manager on a part time basis as of today. - The partners will work on a long term strategy for the European IP connectivity, in cooperation with coordination bodies for worldwide IP connectivity. Four days after the meeting the final link in the originally planned backbone was put into operation. Ebone is now a resilient European backbone ring linking Ebone Boundary Systems in Amsterdam, London, Montpellier, Geneva and Stockholm with Regional Boundary Systems connected to these systems by access links. The Ebone will not be static, but the basic principles of openness and maximal connectivity will continue and Ebone will also welcome new partners. The successes of Ebone's first year are a firm base for developments in 1993. Frode Greisen UNI-C Building 305, Technical University DK2800, Lyngby, Denmark Phone +45 4593 1420 Fax +45 4593 0220 E-mail Frode.Greisen@uni-c.dk