As Seen at SEE 13

191 participants from 32 countries came together for two days of in-depth discussions, a hands-on workshop, and invaluable networking. This was our second SEE meeting in Bulgaria – we were here at SEE 3 in 2013 and we'll be returning in 2026 for RIPE 93!

As SEEn at SEE 13

Starting off with some of the highlights from the program at SEE 13, the keynote talk was given by our very own RIPE Labs editor, Alun Davies, who presented an analysis of how the Internet responded to cable damage in the Baltic Sea.

In November 2024, multiple submarine cables in the Baltic Sea were broken, disrupting regional connectivity. Alun walked us through the technical analysis of these incidents carried out by RIPE NCC researchers who used RIPE Atlas measurements to analyse latency shifts and packet loss and tell a story about the resilience of the Internet.

Listen to the podcast episode based on the same analysis.

This was followed by a talk entitled ‘936 Grams of Awesome - Challenges of building our own home router’ from Tomaz Zaman. Tomaz shared the story of how he developed his own 10 Gigabit-capable router (CPE) from scratch in about a year, taking us through the nitty gritty of the role of each component, the problems he encountered during development, and how he solved them.

Also very much worthy of mention: Branimir Rajtar, Chief Technology Officer at 5x9 Networks, gave a talk describing how they achieved a throughput over 1 Tbps on an x86 server while developing a vBNG product in his presentation which focussed is on the technical aspects of the development.

Surveying the technical landscape

The regional meetings we organise at the RIPE NCC provide a really useful opportunity for the local Internet community to survey where the Internet in their region is at - where advances have been made, where further cooperation is needed, and so on. As such, several talks at SEE 13 were dedicated to understanding the evolving Internet landscape across South East Europe. A series of in-depth presentations provided insight into the region’s infrastructure, connectivity challenges, and opportunities for future growth.

Internet Researcher Jim Cowie delivered a broad assessment of the Internet across the SEE region, exploring connectivity trends, resilience, and traffic behaviour. His talk highlighted both the strengths and vulnerabilities of the regional Internet ecosystem, offering a data-driven snapshot for future planning and development.

Jelena Cosic from RIPE NCC provided a closer look at the IXP landscape in SEE. The critical role IXPs play in local traffic routing, Internet performance, and cost-efficiency. She also examined how IXPs can act as catalysts for community engagement and regional cooperation.

Qasim Lone, also from RIPE NCC, shared compelling findings on RPKI deployment and IPv6 uptake in South East Europe. His presentation tracked adoption trends and the varying levels of progress across different countries. The talk offered guidance for encouraging broader implementation of these essential technologies.

Further reading: For a deeper dive into Qasim’s research, read the related article on RIPE Labs, which provides expanded analysis and regional data.

The Future of SEE

A Future of Network Operator Groups (NOGs) panel brought together regional organisers to discuss the evolving role of NOGs across South East Europe. The conversation focused on how to foster stronger collaboration, address common challenges, and how sustainable community-driven Internet development was. The panel looked at the importance of knowledge sharing, local engagement, and adapting to the diverse needs of emerging Internet communities in the region.

Jelena Cosic’s lightning talk, ‘Reimagining the SEE Meeting: Reflections on the Past and Future’ spoke on where SEE Meetings were heading and what strategic focus lay ahead for the meetings in the region.

With an eye on the future, discussions on the evolving roles of NOGs and the strategic direction of SEE Meetings signal a strong and growing community eager to continue shaping the Internet in South East Europe. We look forward to continuing these conversations at SEE 14 — and to seeing you all again in 2026 at RIPE 93 in Bulgaria.

Wrapping up, we want to thank our host BIX BG and the South East Europe Internet community for welcoming us in Sofia!

Watch the recordings of the presentations on our YouTube channel and take a look at the photo gallery.

For updates in the region and future events, follow the SEE Regional Mailing list.