The Internet's Greatest Invention Celebrates 25 Years

REDWOOD CITY, California, January 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Inventor Paul Mockapetris Keynotes Commemorative Event Hosted by the 
Oxford Internet Institute and Afilias; Reflects on Past, Present and Future 
of Domain Name System

Nominum, the leading provider of network naming and addressing 
technologies, and Afilias, the world's second largest provider of domain name 
registry services, announced today that Paul Mockapetris, chairman and chief 
scientist, was the keynote speaker at an event hosted by the Oxford Internet 
Institute and Afilias. The event was held on January 28 at the Royal Society 
in London to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the invention of the Domain 
Name System (DNS). Credited with inventing DNS in June 1983, Mockapetris 
shared his thoughts on the technology, how it came to be, its impact on the 
Internet and where it is headed in the years to come.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000511/SFTH101LOGO)

What started as a small project that few thought would be such an
important aspect in communication, the DNS is now part of the underlying
infrastructure of the Internet and provided an alternative to typing the
numerical IP addresses for domain names. When someone wants to access and
update their MySpace profile, users type myspace.com into their browser
instead of a numeric IP number such as 64.233.187.99. Besides making it easy
to surf the net and eliminating the need to remember a numerical sequence for
every Web site you visit, DNS also helps route mail, balances load across
multiple servers and offers a growing list of new tasks, such as supporting
VOIP phone calls, suppressing spam, supporting social networking and
information sharing.

"The DNS is the database for Internet communication technology and with
billions of people using it everyday and millions of companies and
organizations with registered domain names, the technology is ubiquitous in
the developed world, continues to spread around the globe, and has given us
the flexibility to change the way we communicate," said Paul Mockapetris,
chairman and chief scientist at Nominum. "As more people come online they
need rapid, intuitive and safe DNS services that don't require technical
expertise."

"As a provider of core infrastructure that supports top level domain
extensions like .INFO and .ORG, Afilias believes that the Internet depends on
a secure DNS system that is globally diversified to mitigate potential cyber
threats as well as natural disasters," said Hal Lubsen, president and chief
executive officer of Afilias. "With a fast, secure and reliable
infrastructure, we can support continued growth in the number of Internet
users worldwide as well as the world's growing dependency on being
interconnected via the Web."

One of the greatest achievements of the DNS is its flexibility to adjust
to the world's changing needs. When the DNS was created, eight years before
the introduction of the World Wide Web, a few hundred machines were connected
to the Internet. Today more than 130 million are connected, and this number
is expected to grow substantially as the majority of the world's population
goes online. Without a simplified naming scheme like DNS today's Internet
would not exist.

As the Internet continues to evolve and grow exponentially, security will
continue to be a key concern for governments, businesses and consumers. For
information about securing large networks reliant on DNS and
DHCP-communications, please visit http://www.nominum.com.

Further event information can be found at:
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/events/details.cfm?id=171

A video commemorating the 25th anniversary of the invention of the DNS
can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwyI3X54TVk

About Nominum

Nominum's network naming and addressing solutions power the world's
largest always-on networks. Nominum is a global provider of ENUM-based
IP-Application Routing Directory, DNS and DHCP solutions that enable
communication providers to deliver high quality always-on broadband internet
and innovative services to their customers, including VoIP, push to talk,
fixed-mobile convergence, IPTV and triple-play. For further information,
visit http://www.nominum.com.

About Afilias

Afilias provides global registry services that leverage proven technology
to deliver fast, reliable and secure service. Afilias technology supports a
wide range of applications, including Internet domain registries such as
.INFO, .ORG, .aero, .mobi, .asia, and many country code domains. Afilias also
provides services in the RFID market with its Afilias Discovery Service,
which enables real-time lookup of event histories across RFID networks.
Afilias maintains international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, sales
offices in London, England, sales and operational facilities in Toronto,
administrative offices in the U.S. near Philadelphia, PA, and operational
offices in New Delhi, India. For more information please visit
http://www.afilias.info.

Nominum Contact:
    Lisa Abbott
    Nominum
    +1-650-381-6140
    lisa.abbott@nominum.com

    Agency Contact:
    Theresa Chavez
    Bite Communications
    +1-415-365-0404
    theresa.chavez@bitepr.com



Web site: http://www.nominum.com