r Vinton Cerf was the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocol, the computer language that gave birth to the Internet in the mid-70s. This breakthrough subsequently led to work on experiments with packet voice and packet video.

Since then, he has continued research into developing other Internet-related technology through his key roles in the Corporation for National Research Initiatives and MCI WorldCom. Cerf has also worked tirelessly to make the Internet accessible to more people by forming the Internet Society, an international organisation for global cooperation and coordination of the Internet.

In 1997, he and fellow researcher Dr Robert (Bob) Kahn were presented with the US National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton, in acknowledgement of their efforts in founding and developing the Internet.

Besides his role as senior vice-president of Internet Architecture and Technology at MCI WorldCom, Cerf is a highly sought-after speaker, an accomplished writer and budding actor, having made several guest appearances on his favourite TV series, Earth: The Final Conflict.

In his latest project, the Internet visionary is involved in the design and architecture of an Interplanetary Internet, redeveloping protocols for future communications with Mars and even beyond.

INNOVATION was able to catch up with this Internet pioneer in the midst of his hectic schedule to talk to him about the progress of his brainchild.

I: Did you ever imagine that the Internet would achieve such a level of success?
Cerf: The realisation that the Internet would become a major new communications infrastructure came slowly. It was clear from the outset that packet switching (see signpost) was the right concept for computer communication.

In 1986, several companies were formed to build gateways (these were called “routers” then) and it was obvious that there was a business in the sale of such equipment to allow anyone to build pieces of the Internet. By 1988, it became apparent to me that the Internet could not expand much beyond its government-funded boundaries unless it could be used for commercial purposes, forming an economic engine that would pay for Internet expansion. I was a strong proponent of Internet commercialisation, although many in the academic community resisted this idea.

A year later, the first commercial Internet services were under way — UUNET was first, then PSINET, and others soon followed. In retrospect, the Internet began to “take off” in 1988 with annual growth on the order of 100 percent. This rate has continued to this day.

Coincidentally, the World Wide Web originated in 1989 with work by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in Switzerland. Its commercial debut, by way of Netscape Communications in 1994, has fuelled a massive explosion of new applications, carrying the Internet into the 21st Century.

Right now there are 200 million people using the Internet, which is fairly small considering the world’s population of 6 billion. Still, at the rate the Internet access is growing, there should be around 1 billion devices on the Internet by 2007. A good deal of these could be through items such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants and even appliances, as opposed to the more traditional PCs and laptops.

I: What brings you the most satisfaction about the way the Internet has progressed? What is a source of concern?
Cerf: The Internet connects us in ways we’ve never been connected before and therein lies its power, appeal and indeed its risk. The greatest satisfaction for me has been to see the enormous outpouring of creativity and resources from around the world to further develop the Internet, its technology and its applications.

It can also bring together people holding common interests on a global scale, and allow the capture and preservation of the cultural richness of the world’s ethnic diversity. It will surely open new opportunities for education, in particular by increasing the literacy rate around the world.

Other benefits would come with the increase in research materials, and the pursuit of personal interests. We should also encourage entrepreneurial thinking in the academic world.

The greatest concerns are that the Internet might not be able to sustain its enormous growth rate, and that its social and economic effects may not be well enough understood. Also, there is the concern that children may have access to “adult” material, a situation that I hope will be remedied as more tools are available to limit this exposure.

To be sure, we have much to learn about this new information infrastructure, and it will be a voyage of discovery not unlike the exploration of the New World in the 16th Century.

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