Dr Cerf urged past and future participants of PacINET to share experience and discuss challenges and opportunities: "PacINET provides a remarkable opportunity for Pacific Islanders to take advantage of their experiences in implementing and using the Internet. Discovering that your problems are not unique and that others have found solutions to them is one of the more satisfying outcomes of attending these meetings, to say nothing of the enthusiasm one feels for sharing Internet connectivity goals."



Dr Cerf is regarded by all as one of the fathers of the Internet after he developed with Dr Robert Kahn and others the TCP/IP protocol suite, also known as the Internet Protocol which is the underlying system of the Internet as we know it today.

The founder and past chairman of the Internet Society (ISOC), Dr Cerf also served as chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).He was Vice President at MCI before moving on to become Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, a position he currently holds.

A few years after PICISOC was chartered by the Internet Society in 1999, PacINET started off modestly in 2002 in Nadi, Fiji, by first bringing together ICT managers of Pacific Islands regional organisations and government to supplement the IT-PacNet meeting created in 1994 which became, around 2001, mainly reserved to members of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP). PacINET is now a gathering of ICT people from all over the Pacific to share information and discuss trendy issues relating to the world’s basic means of communication – Internet.

Past PacINET have been in Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Samoa and Solomon Islands.



In turn, the event has contributed a lot to participants who take time off their busy schedule to attend it.

“This has been a great opportunity for the Cook Islands and for me, in my work, has come at a very good time as I am writing the policy for ICT in education for the Cook Islands,” said Cook Islands’ Ministry of Education official Alexis Wolfgramm during the 2006 PacINET in Kiribati.

Interim Chair of the Vanuatu IT Users Society Andrew Molivurae considered the experience of being chosen that year to be part of the panel on ‘Internet Forum Censorship’ forum and being in the same room as Dr Cerf as “a privilege’.

The event was also being described as an ‘eye opener’ for some.

“Attending the 2007 PacINET has been an eye opening experience in that for the first time, I was able to learn and experience first hand the developments taking place within the region, and more importantly, how PNG was involved or not; and what opportunities were available to use ICT as a development tool,” said Saskia Ani of Papua New Guinea.

Tonga’s Edwin Liava’a said: “In spite of all the themes and topic covered during the conference, I believe these know-hows and new technologies will not be fully utilised unless there is Internet broadband connection available to all islands in the region. In my humble opinion, it is like us having the latest Mercedes Benz but the road is only a trail.”

While Dr Cerf – now considered a friend of the Pacific after attending PacINETs of 2005 and 2006 – will not be at this year’s event, his message is expected to be received by decision makers in the Pacific, some of whom he has had the opportunity to meet personally.

In PacINET Kiribati, 2005, he met numerous officials including Kiribati President Anote Tong and Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Dr Jimmy Rodgers.



In 2006, Dr Cerf attended PacINET in Samoa, where he offered a Google Doodle (the funny looking modified Google logo) to Hon. Sailele Malielegaoi Tuila’epa, Prime Minister of Samoa.



That same year, Dr Cerf also addressed leaders during the Forum Telecommunication Ministerial meeting in Wellington while an ICANN meeting he was chairing was running next door. ICANN brings about a thousand Internet experts to discuss Internet addresses, domain names and other resources.



In 2007, Dr Cerf sent a message to participants of PacINET 2007, describing the changes the Internet is bringing to people. The 2007 PacINET was also significant in that it saw the launch of the One Laptop Per Child Oceania Project (OLPC Oceania).

OLPC goal is to provide a low cost laptop with educational materials to every child on earth. A pilot project is currently being carried out in the Solomon Islands by People First Networks with the support of SPC and has been a successful project with primary school children in rural locations.

Speakers at this year’s PacINET include, Hon Jim Marurai, Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Prof. Howard A. Schmidt, (ISC)² Security Strategist and Former White House Cyber Security Advisor, Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General - Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dr Bhashkar Rao, Deputy Director SOPAC, John Crain, Chief Technology Officer - ICANN

According to PacINET organiser PICISOC chair Franck Martin, there will also be a demonstration of past World Summit Awards (WSA), which are awards given to the best ICT projects in the world.

“This should encourage more submissions from the Pacific Islands to WSA and there will also be an examination for people to become Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP), a certification in the field of security highly recognised and valued worldwide and organised by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, (ISC)2” Mr Martin said.

He added the call for papers had been sent and PICISOC expects a full agenda again this year.

For more information on PacINET 2008 and how to submit a paper, visit www.picisoc.org.