Once this experimental protocol base is established, the working group will move on to design and develop a mobile ad-hoc network, common, group-engineered routing specification similar to the Internet Standards track. Experience gained from existing proposals will be used as design input, however, rather than choosing any specific scheme as a point of focus, the ultimate goal will be to achieve standardization of various schemes.

As a part of this ongoing effort, the working group will also address the aspects of security and congestion control in the already proposed routing protocols. This group will work closely with the IRTF (Internet Research Task Force) and other groups on mobile ad-hoc networks to collect any further developments from the related research community. In summary, the founding of such a group is a progressive step. Although it might be a bit early to predict any thing about the overall success of this group, we hope that if successful, we'll see more generalized and discrete forms of products based on the mobile ad-hoc network.

Kathy Walker has a degree in nursing and worked in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for seven years, transporting very ill children across the Pacific Northwest. She earned her private pilot's license in 1981 in Spokane, Washington and this year attained her Multi-Engine Flight Instructor rating and Airline Transport Pilot's license. She's now seeking employment as a corporate pilot.