It is learned Monday from Tsinghua University that China has made new breakthrough in the development of key technology on the next generation of Internet. On CERNET2, a just opened trunk test network of the next-generation Net, China's first core router based on Ipv6 protocol operated successfully.

The main function of a router, as one of the most important Internet infrastructure, is to find out the best route for information transmission, so it is called the "traffic hub" of the Internet. The next-generation Net represents the latest trend of Net development for it possesses faster speed, bigger address capacity and better security. These advantages can only be given play when equipment operated on it is Ipv6 compatible. By now only a few countries have developed Ipv6 core router.

China's research in this regard began two years ago. The core router worked out this time, called BE12016, is jointly developed by the computer department of Tsinghua University and Tsinghua Unisplendour Bitway Networking Technology Co., Ltd, which is of complete intellectual property right. It is mainly used on the next-generation Internet but at the same time compatible with the current one. It boasts a transmission capacity of 320 billion bits per second and a forwarding ability of 96 million times per second. Its successful development fills in the blank of hardware making for the next-generation Net therefore is of great strategic significance of raising China's international competitiveness in this field.

(People's Daily March 31, 2004)