Date: 7 to 14 September 2023
Venue: Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), Kyoto, Japan
The APNIC 56 Conference and Open Policy Meeting (APNIC 56) was held from 7 to 14 September 2023 at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), Kyoto, Japan. Organized by the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), the event brought together Internet service providers, network operators, Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operators, researchers, policymakers, standards experts, and members of the technical community from across the Asia-Pacific region. The conference served as one of the region’s premier forums for advancing Internet infrastructure, Internet number resource policy, routing security, operational best practices, and capacity building.
Anupam Agrawal actively participated in APNIC 56, serving as Co-chair of the APNIC Policy Special Interest Group (Policy SIG) during the Open Policy Meeting held on 14 September 2023. Alongside Bertrand Cherrier (Chair) and Shaila Sharmin (Co-chair), he helped administer policy discussions, facilitate community consensus, and guide deliberations on proposals shaping the management of Internet number resources throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The conference commenced with four days of intensive workshops and tutorials covering Network Security, Software Defined Networking (SDN), Internet Operations 101, BGP and RPKI, Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operations, Network Automation, and an RPKI Deployathon. These hands-on technical sessions equipped participants with practical knowledge on securing and managing modern Internet infrastructure while promoting operational excellence among network engineers and Internet operators.
The main conference featured keynote addresses by internationally renowned Internet pioneers, including Jun Murai, along with technical presentations covering IPv6 deployment, routing security, cybersecurity resilience, cloud networking, RPKI deployment, Internet measurement, Software-Defined Networking (SDN), carrier infrastructure, and the future evolution of Internet technologies. Special sessions celebrated APNIC’s 30th Anniversary, highlighting three decades of regional collaboration in strengthening Internet development across the Asia-Pacific.
A major highlight of APNIC 56 was the Open Policy Meeting, where community members discussed proposals relating to IPv4 and IPv6 address management, Internet Exchange Point resource allocation, Policy Development Process (PDP) improvements, and Internet number resource governance. As Policy SIG Co-chair, Anupam Agrawal played a key role in the administration of these discussions, ensuring transparent, inclusive, and consensus-driven decision-making within APNIC’s open multistakeholder policy framework.
Beyond policy deliberations, APNIC 56 hosted Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions, APNIC Member Meetings, collaboration forums with FIRST, APCERT, APIX, and National Internet Registries (NIRs), fostering cooperation on cybersecurity, routing resilience, operational best practices, and regional Internet development.
Participation in APNIC 56 further strengthened Anupam Agrawal’s engagement with the Asia-Pacific Internet community, reinforcing his leadership in Internet governance, policy development, and technical capacity building. His contribution as Policy SIG Co-chair supported APNIC’s mission of maintaining an open, stable, secure, and resilient Internet through community-driven policy development and international collaboration.