Fwd: %sPress-Release: Support model of the Internet Service Providers for the DFN/WIN is discontinued - German WiN links are shut down

Fri Nov 14 11:22:53 UTC 1997

¸²<@¸²<@Fri, 14 Nov 1997 12:22:53 +0100 (CET)
From:

Winfried Haug <haug at seicom.net>
To:

nanog at merit.edu
Cc:

Subject:

Press-Release: Support model of the Internet Service Providers for the DFN/WIN is discontinued - German WiN links are shut down

---------
Forwarded message
-----------
Hello.

First sorry for the long e-Mail, but what happens in Germany now will affect 
the whole community and therefor i think you should read this mail :-)

This press-Release is also available at

http://www.decix.de/winpresseE.html. Information about the decix can be 
found at http://www.decix.de.

Thank you for your patience

---
Winfried Haug - Sprecher AK-DECIX im ECO e.V - Chair of AK-DECIX within ECO e.V

For more information about the only neutral Germany Exchange Point DE-CIX please
visit http://www.decix.de. The ECO Homepage may be found at http://www.eco.de
If you want more information about joining DE-CIX please contact: 
sprecher at decix.de

------------------------schnipp-------------------schnipp---------------------

PRESS RELEASE

COMPANY NEWS

Support model of the Internet Service Providers for the DFN
is discontinued – German WiN links are shut down

Germany, November 1997.

The leading German Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are ending the current 
voluntary support of the German science network (WiN) link to the commercial 
Internet landscape.  The deadline has been set for 31 December 1997.  In 
order to avoid a data exchange between the WiN and the commercial networks 
via international links which is cost-intensive for the tax-payer, the 
commercial Internet providers, at the suggestion of the DFN association, are 
offering a central exchange point as the new support model.

Past support of the academic sector of the Internet

Historically, the commercial network and the part of the Internet used for 
scientific purposes in Germany were based on different infrastructures.  The 
commercial Internet providers support the link of the academic network (WiN) 
to the commercial Internet landscape.  The millions needed annually for the 
financing of this support is voluntary and one-sided by the commercial 
Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Discontinuation of the present support model at the end of the year

The growing range of demand and the rising amount of access to commercial 
Internet contents from the WiN side is leading to a cost explosion of the 
current model.  For this reason the ISPs will adapt their support of the DFN 
at the end of the year.  As a result of the planned shutting down of the 
direct connection between the German ISPs and the WiN, in future data will 
be exchanged between the networks exclusively via international connections 
in the USA.  For the ISPs this will lead to better capacity use of the 
international lines and evens out the current surplus net traffic from the 
USA to Germany.  The international link of the WiN would be put under a lot 
of pressure by the joint additional traffic of its USA subscribers, which 
will lead to a price increase for the international link.  This will have to 
be financed by tax revenue, which DFN’s WiN instigates by the state.  In 
order to measure the precise effects a shut down will have on the traffic 
flow, the German ISPs will shut down their connections to WiN on 25th 
November 1997 at 12 o’clock for a trial period of 24 hours.

Favoured solution by support model of a self-financing exchange point

A new support model is currently being discussed by the commercial ISPs.  
This model allows for the setting-up of a central exchange point in Germany 
for the traffic between the German scientific network and the commercial 
networks.  The setting-up and development of the tie would be sponsored by 
the ISPs with a one-off knock-on financing in the region of almost one 
million Marks over a two year period.  The exchange of traffic via this type 
of connection point would ease the burden on the tax-payer by about six 
million Marks every year.  This support model will be presented to the 
committee of the DFN and all its members in an open letter within the next 
few days.

Undersigned Internet Service Providers

Gerfnet Germany, Compuserve Network Services, GTN (Deutsches Provider 
Network), ECRC, Interactiv Networx, IS Internet Services, mediaWays, 
Nacamar, NetUse, NTG/Xlink, POP Point of Presence, Seicom, Spacenet, TCP/IP 
– Contrib.net, UUNET Deutschland

>From cook at netaxs.com  Fri Nov 14 12:07:11 1997