DE-CIX and the architecture of the internet

The history of the internet as we know and use it today is also and especially a history of its commercialisation. In Germany, it is a household commodity, like water and electricity. Mobile Internet and WLAN surround us almost everywhere like the air we breathe – and we can easily buy our personal access from multiple providers. Nevertheless, the public internet is not regulated: the rules by which it functions have been negotiated since its beginnings in the 1990s by those who bring it to market. What were the circumstances under which these far-reaching decisions were made? Who was involved? What was important in the process and what potentials are emerging today?

Harald A. Summa is founder and CEO of eco – the Association of the Internet Industry and CEO of one of the most important internet nodes in the world, the DE-CIX in Frankfurt a. M. In his roles, he has contributed significantly to the current design and gigantic dimensions of the web and continues to contribute to the development of the internet of the future. In Digitalgespräch, Summa talks about the first years of commercial internet, describes the most important course settings and also explains technical relations. With the hosts of the ZEVEDI podcast – Marlene Görger and Petra Gehring – he discusses the significance of the unwritten laws of the self-regulated internet, how their interaction with its physical realisation also affects content and services, and gives an outlook on upcoming developments.

Further information:
Link to Harald A. Summa’s website:
https://harald-a-summa.de/