Contacts:

Craig Jelinek, jelinek@isoc.org, 408-395-3858
Susan Webb, swebb@edelman.com, 202-326-1707
Christina Zulandi, christina_zulandi@dc.edelman.com, 202-326-1703

INTERNET SOCIETY TO HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF E-BUSINESS

INET'99 Global Summit Set for June 22-25 in Silicon Valley

RESTON, Virginia - April 8, 1999 - The Internet Society's annual Internet Global Summit is helping advance the Internet's role in commerce, education and society through the comprehensive topics that will be discussed at INET'99, June 22 to 25 in San Jose, Calif., USA. Just as the Internet transformed scientific research, it is transforming commerce, education and social exchange around the globe. INET'99 will explore how this transformation is impacting corporations and small business, government and non-governmental organizations, and educators, as well as individuals.

INET'99 conference sessions have been designed to raise the profile on key issues and allow exchange of ideas and best practices. Topics range from new technology development and growing business applications to regulatory and administrative challenges, and from preparing children to learn through the Internet to using the Internet as a new vehicle for healthcare delivery or as a conduit for social change.

Top industry leaders, including Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's general manager, Internet division; Esther Dyson, chairman of Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); Bill Burrington, vice president of law and global public policy, and associate general counsel for America Online, Inc. (AOL), and former chairman of the board of the Internet Alliance; and Francis Gurry, deputy director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), will present the latest visions, controversies and alliances that will lead the Internet into the coming millennium.

INET'99 tracks map to the interests of the diverse Internet community, with program delineation in e-commerce and e-business; technology; education and research; and social, legal and regulatory. Highlights from the preliminary program include:

E-Commerce Track

The Internet Society recognizes the potential of the Internet to become a giant marketplace and center for workforce collaboration. INET'99 has devoted tracks to exploring new issues of online commerce. For companies just starting out in the industry, INET'99 presents an insider's panel on how venture capital funding is awarded and when companies should consider initiating public offerings. Sessions also tackle such subjects as branding and retailing in cyberspace, including how to connect web storefronts with backbone financials, creating online customer care programs and modifying tried and true traditional sales tactics for the online environment. Additionally, the compressed digital age means that companies have to face legal and policy concerns that affect their bottom line much earlier in the life of their organization. Sessions educate about the legal aspects of commerce, including liability, fraud and privacy, while another panel focuses on the clash of legal and technical cultures. National and regional governments around the world, including developing countries, share their unique cases surrounding e-commerce issues at INET'99 as well.

Technology

Technology sessions will present substantive sessions that focus on specific underlying technologies of Internet networks and preview concepts of applications to come. Additionally, anyone whose job depends on knowledge of standards and protocol will hear from experts of the principal standard-making body: the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). A healthy dose of insights gained from real, measured experience will stimulate thinking and spawn new innovation from the industry.

Application Technologies

Sessions will discuss new service applications that, for example, are allowing the Internet to become a key business tool for worldwide service provisioning, eliminating intermediaries and allowing people to work for customers around the world. Likewise, real-time applications are allowing better delivery and sharing of information over the Internet through such avenues as streamed video and video conferencing.

Network Infrastructure

Increased user traffic and data interchange, as well as new multimedia and real-time applications, are increasing demand for bandwidth and bytes per second. Meanwhile, exchange of vital information is raising concerns about security. A wide array of sessions will explore techniques aimed at solving these issues, including alternative data routing methods to avoid heavy traffic and authentication and authorization schemes.

Other sessions discuss the next evolutions of the Internet, including the work being done on the Internet2 and Next Generation Internet projects. Networks are evolving to include guaranteed quality of service (QoS), as well as priority management and reliability. Industry professionals and academics from around the world reveal the challenges they face building a new platform for applications that will use these new features to provide better, more reliable and secure multimedia services.

And as a primary goal of the Internet Society is to help developing countries get "wired," INET'99 offers lessons learned from such countries and regions as Latvia, Moldova, Tunisia and the Andes, which have recently established high speed wireless access and applications in their regions, and deliver expert advice for others getting connected.

Standards and Protocol

Experts from the IETFwill lead discussions on new demands posed on technology as developers balance the desire for open architecture against issues of security and management, as well as discussions on increased sophistication of new messaging systems and routing techniques.

Education & Information Resources

The new information age is redefining how students learn. Educators are seeking ways to deliver a better education and ready students for new learning and work environments. This INET'99 track will deliver cases and interactive discussions on practical steps for developing and delivering web-based material or courses at all education levels, including the possibilities of a virtual campus. Sessions are also devoted to the new challenges of keeping teachers trained at the speed of technological developments, the opportunities for bringing together students from around the world, and the ways different countries are building infrastructures to take advantage of the new opportunities afforded by the Internet.

Social, Legal and Regulatory Track

As the difference between rich and poor is increasingly measured by access to information, network access is a crucial issue around the world. INET'99 will take a look at how communities, governments and citizens are getting "wired" and bridging the gap. Find out what the industry is doing to help provide universal Internet access. Communities from around the world share how they are harnessing this great information vehicle and its power to receive and deliver distant medical care, to educate citizens about community issues and referendums, and to engage the disabled, among other innovations. Sessions will also focus on the growing role of the Internet in activism and political discourse. The legal track also brings to the fore legislative issues around encryption, copyright, censorship, and privacy that affect business on the Web and discusses how industry is developing market solutions to ensure self-regulation.

About INET'99

INET is the premier event of the Internet industry and provides an international forum for advancing the development and implementation of the Internet networks, technologies, applications and policies around the globe. Established and organized by the Internet Society, INET brings together world leaders and pioneers of cyberspace, information technology professionals, business executives, educators, and government officials to exchange experiences and shape the future of the Internet.

INET'99 is expected to attract 3,000 attendees from more than 100 countries to address issues emanating from the Internet's impact on commerce and finance, education, technologies and societies throughout the world. INET'99 will also include presentations of more than 100 research papers, technical reports and case studies. Information on INET'99, including details on registration and program tracks, is available on the Internet at www.isoc.org/inet99.

About The Internet Society

The Internet Society is the international organization for global coordination and cooperation for the Internet. The Internet Society was established in 1992 in response to a recognized worldwide need for a non-governmental, international organization to help support global expansion, standardization and change of the Internet. Today, the Internet Society assists the needs of the growing worldwide Internet Community in many ways: through its annual INET conference; other sponsored events, tutorials, advocacy programs; network training workshops for emerging countries; and with publications like its award-winning bimonthly magazine OnTheInternet. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet standards body, conducts its work under the auspices of the Internet Society. The Internet Society is comprised of members from more than 150 countries.