more on telling private networks from the Internet, was Neustar to create their own DNS root

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: John Levine <johnl () iecc com>
Date: October 1, 2005 7:28:07 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on telling private networks from the Internet,  
was Neustar to create their own DNS root


> > > Neustar, a company that should certainly know better, has announced
> > > that they're going to create a .gprs TLD to serve the mobile phone
> > > industry ...
> > So this is really a private network disjoint from the Internet.
>
> John, I think you're confusing policy and implementation.

No, discussion on NANOG has confirmed that this is a internal network
used to support GSM roamers.  It uses Internet technology, but it is
not the Internet.  It is not the network you connect to if you use
EDGE or EV-DO data, it is not the network you see if you exchange
e-mail with Internet users.

As someone noted on NANOG, the only way to use it is to turn on your
GSM phone somewhere your home carrier doesn't serve.


> So first of all, this mobile-based dns that's controlled by a carrier
> cartel will surely be flipped around the opposite way: neustar will
> control what dns info is available to the handsets (flipping the
> orientation around the other way from what you described).  We'll be
> back to a walled garden. So for instance,  AoL.gprs might be
> available to every user, but what if want to get to Yahoo?  Sorry,
> there's no Yahoo.gprs for Verizon customers, but maybe for Cingular
> customers.

Unless while I wasn't looking, AOL and Yahoo stopped being ISPs and
are now mobile phone companies, this is pure silliness.

I certainly hope the control networks for GSM are a walled garden,
just like the SS7 network for wireline telcos is.  We have enough
security problems already without inviting in every skript kiddie
in the world.

R's,
John



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