[registrars] Fwd: [minc-announce] MINC announces Tender Document for Interoperabilit

["Domain Names" <domain.names@tagi.com>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MINC announces Tender Document for Interoperability Testbed
After Extensive Feedback


London, Friday, 20 June 2003.
Two years ago, MINC [1] initiated a project to evaluate the
formation of an Internationalized Domain Names (IDN)
Interoperability Testbed. In view of the time lag of issuance
of IETF standards, this was postponed till late last year
2002 [2] when the IETF standards were impending, when MINC
Board passed a resolution to set up Interoperability Testing
and noted that a subsequent call for participation was
impending.

In early this year 2003, a MINC document for setting up an
Interoperability Testbed was circulated for comment [3].
Based on extensive feedback from that document, drafts have
been iterated and a final version of the tender document for
MINC IDN Interoperability Testbed has been achieved.

In addition, now that IETF proposed IDN standards (RFC
3490, 3491 and 3492) have been published, MINC has engaged
a contractor to set up the tender process, and is presently
making the invitation to potential tenderers to bid for
operating the MINC Interoperability Testbed. Subsequent to
this, we will be expecting a call for participation in this
Interoperability Testbed.

The MINC Website http://www.minc.org/interop/ will contain
the latest information about the tender, and all interested
parties are requested to respond to sec@minc.org by 10am
GMT+0800h SST (i.e. 10 am Local Singapore Time) on 14th
July 2003.

MINC Chairman, Khaled Fattal, has appointed an
Interoperability Testing Committee comprising Milton Choo,
Tan Tin Wee, Dongman Lee and Sergey Charikov to provide
oversight for this MINC activity. Said Fattal "This is a
vital step in the overall delivery of true IDN and the
multilingualization of the global Internet and will further
ensure its proper development, deployment and stability."

[1] MINC Statement on Internationalised Domain Names and
Interoperability Testing. 12 March 2001
http://www.minc.org/pr/interopMar2001.shtml

[2] MINC Announces Interoperability Testing For
Internationalized Domain Names. 4 Nov 2002
http://www.minc.org/pr/interopNov2002.shtml

[3] Release of MINC Document on Interoperability Testbed:
Request For Comments. 25 Feb 2003.
http://www.minc.org/pr/interopMar2003.shtml



----------------------------------------------------------
For more information about MINC and this tender bid, please
contact the MINC Secretariat at sec@minc.org and
milton@borq.net.

About MINC
---------
MINC is the Multilingual Internet Names Consortium, formed in
June 2000 to promote the internationalisation of Internet
names including multilingual Internet domain names. For more
information about MINC, please refer to its website at
http://www.minc.org/. To contact MINC, please send email
to sec@minc.org