ATIS Open Web Alliance
Developing Open Proxy Solution for HTTP 2.0
WASHINGTON — ATIS today announced the launch of the Open Web Alliance (OWA), an initiative to develop requirements for an open service optimization proxy to meet the service needs of all stakeholders in the web ecosystem while supporting the goals of encryption and privacy. This initiative takes place in response to concerns expressed over the impact that proprietary proxies, such as those that incorporate the SPDY protocol, have on services and network management. SPDY has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force for standardization as HTTP 2.0, which is set to be proposed as a standard in November of this year. This protocol optimizes and encrypts the communication between web server and the browser, and is being proposed as a mechanism to reduce webpage load times.
SPDY proxies redirect Internet traffic through a single opaque tunnel across the network. This bundling could hinder reasonable network management, content distribution and network services. The SPDY proxy also could “break” existing content delivery optimization mechanisms used by service providers, which would degrade service quality for consumers.
“This is an industry architecture issue that affects all Internet users, and will be best addressed in an open collaborative forum,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. “The Open Web Alliance embraces the priorities of all organizations with a stake in making integrated web services richer, faster and more secure. It is open to all entities with established trust relationships with the user, privacy advocacy groups, industry consortiums and others.”
ATIS has developed a whitepaper, An Analysis of the SPDY Protocol and the SPDY Proxy, available in the ATIS Document Center https://www.atis.org/docstore/product.aspx?id=28162. OWA is open to a broad range of stakeholders including web providers, network operators and device manufacturers. Both ATIS members and non-members are eligible to participate. Interested companies and organizations should contact Jim McEachern. The OWA kick-off meeting takes place on Wednesday, May 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT. Learn more at www.atis.org/openweballiance.
About ATIS
As a leading technology and solutions development organization, the Alliance for Telecommunications Solutions (ATIS) brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s most-pressing business priorities. Through ATIS committees and forums, nearly 200 companies address cloud services, device solutions, emergency services, cyber security, next generation wireless technologies, network evolution, quality of service, billing, operations, and more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle — from design and innovation through solutions that include standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, and interoperability testing.
ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a founding Partner of the oneM2M global initative, a member and major U.S. contributor to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio and Telecommunications sectors, and a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org.
