A European approach to a clean slate design for the future internet

The paper discusses a research program for a clean slate design of a "Future Internet" undertaken by Bell Labs in cooperation with a consortium of major European operators, manufacturers, and academia. The research cooperation explores innovative solutions in architectural design, virtualization, and generic connectivity in order to create a future "network of information." We describe high-level goals and identify technical requirements and the expected business opportunities of this initiative. A basic idea for a new networking concept-the "generic path"-is outlined as an example of how to realize this in the future.