Informa to Promote IPv6 - New Internet Protocol

Informa Group PLC
20 March 2000


INFORMA GROUP CHOSEN TO PROMOTE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL, IPv6


Informa Group plc and the IPv6 Forum have reached an agreement to
promote IPv6, the new internet protocol that will create an almost
infinite number of new web addresses.

Informa Group company IBC is to organise a series of conferences in
2000 and 2001 to promote the new protocol and to provide a platform
for IPv6 Forum members to communicate and discuss the technical and
commercial issues relating to the introduction of IPv6.

IPv6 will supersede IPv4, the 1970s developed protocol whose
capacity is limited to four billion internet addresses and which is
now unable to meet the demand generated by  expansion in any
time, anywhere mobile connectivity.  The new protocol also has
security and quality control features which were not requisites for
the small academic network for which IPv4 was originally designed.

The IPv6 Forum, which is headed by Ericsson's Latif Ladd, has been
working closely with the third generation mobile standards bodies
such as the UMTS Forum and 3GPP and is set to emerge as the new
standard for mobile internet.

The Global IPQoS Summit was held in London, March 15-17, and the
Mobile ISP Conference was staged in Paris, March 14-16.  The next
event, IPv6 - the New Internet will be held in London, June 21-23.

Informa, the business information group and the world's largest
publicly quoted conference organiser, hosts the GSM World Congress,
the leading event for the international mobile telecommunications
industry.  It also organises a number of conferences in conjunction
with other major associations in the mobile technology field
including the GSM Association, WAP Forum, Bluetooth Special
Interest Group and the UMTS Forum.

Informa Group's Chief Executive David Gilbertson said:

'Partnership with organisations and associations in the industries
we serve is of growing importance in the electronic area and the
agreement we have reached with the IPv6 Forum to promote the new
internet protocol worldwide is the latest example of such an
alliance'

For further information:

Peter Rigby/David Gilbertson/Jim Wilkinson
The Informa Group plc
Phone [phone]

William Clutterbuck/Charlotte Hamilton/Lydia Stewart
The Maitland Consultancy
Phone [phone]