Zhengmao, Chairman of WBBA: Cloud-Network Broadband Innovation Drives the Development of an Open and Secure Next-Generation Internet
On November 21, the Next-Generation Internet Forum of the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit took place in Wuzhen. The event, themed "Innovation-Driven Security Empowerment: Building an Open and Secure Next-Generation Internet," was a significant gathering of experts and leaders in the field. Li Zhengmao, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Broadband Association (WBBA), attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech.
In his address, Li Zhengmao emphasized that the ongoing scientific and technological revolution, along with rapid industrial transformation, has accelerated the development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, and future networks. These advancements are fostering new industries, business models, and sources of economic momentum. At the same time, they are driving heightened user demands for digitalization, intelligence, sustainability, and security. To meet these needs, Li highlighted the importance of technological innovation in advancing the construction and upgrading of new digital information infrastructure. Such efforts, he stated, will lay a robust foundation for the development of a high-quality next-generation Internet, as well as broader economic and societal growth.
Li Zhengmao shared key insights into the current state of global digital information infrastructure. He noted that the worldwide Internet penetration rate continues to rise, with 5.4 billion users now connected. The adoption of fixed broadband and 5G services is increasing rapidly, alongside the global acceleration of hyperscale data center construction. Additionally, the country has fully transitioned its IP backbone networks, metropolitan area networks, access networks, and terminals to IPv6, achieving remarkable progress in the evolution of next-generation Internet protocols and architecture optimization. Meanwhile, the development of computing power and storage capacity has reached unprecedented levels, bolstering the allocation of computing resources and facilitating data element circulation.
"While delivering users a broader, faster, and more intelligent network, we must simultaneously enhance network security," Li Zhengmao stressed. He underscored the importance of innovating network security technologies in emerging scenarios such as AI-based large models. By leveraging advancements in network intelligence, computing-network collaboration, and cloud-network integration, it is possible to enable capabilities such as automated network configuration, fault self-healing, optimization, and management. These developments will imbue networks with proactive, immune-like security capabilities.
Li Zhengmao also highlighted WBBA's mission to accelerate the development of global cyber infrastructure, foster connectivity, and strengthen international collaboration to address transnational cyber threats. He advocated for an open, secure, and orderly cyberspace, emphasizing that the future network must inherit the Internet's core values of openness and collaboration while ensuring security through technological innovation. WBBA is committed to building consensus within the industry, addressing challenges collaboratively, and fostering innovation in the next-generation Internet.
During the forum, Chairman Li Zhengmao engaged in discussions with Latif Ladid, Founder and Chairman of the Global IPv6 Forum, focusing on strategies to deepen cooperation and build a more secure next-generation Internet.
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