Dear colleagues, The RIPE NCC is pleased to present its first formal Annual Report since we are established as an independent association. In previous years the formal reporting was part of the TERENA association's Annual Report. Of course we are continuously reporting about our activities on the network and at RIPE meetings. Our web site provides a wealth of information that is impossible to include in a formal Annual Report. Yet I hope that you will find the report useful because of its short and comprehensive format. http://www.ripe.net/annual-report/98ar.html I also hope that this report will be a useful tool for you to spread the word about the RIPE NCC both inside and outside your organisation. It is important that all those involved in discussions about the administrative structures of the Internet know what RIPE and the RIPE NCC are and how they operate. For myself, personally, this report represents the last full year that the RIPE NCC has been functioning under my responsibility. As you may know, I have decided to take a step back professionally in order to have more time and energy to devote to my family. I am very happy that I can do this at a point in time where the RIPE NCC has come of age in many ways and is the stable and professional organisation described in the report. The RIPE NCC Annual Report 1998 can be found on the RIPE NCC Web site at: All RIPE NCC members will receive a hard copy version of this report by postal mail. We will be happy to provide additional copies upon request. Kind Regards, Daniel Karrenberg General Manager RIPE NCC