Yakov Rekhter

Biography

Yakov Rekhter is an important figure in modern Internet development, playing a crucial role in transforming ARPAnet into today’s Internet. His work on two essential technologies has been instrumental: the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). BGP is the key routing protocol interconnecting global ISPs and guiding Internet packet paths. MPLS, Rekhter’s second major contribution, added a vital layer to Internet architecture, enabling efficient traffic engineering and in combination with BGP has jump-started various services such as very large scale Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). His work in creating extensible, adaptable technologies has allowed the Internet to evolve and grow to its present size.

Rekhter is a Fellow (retired) at Juniper Networks, New York, New York, USA and is the 2025 recipient of the IEEE Internet Award for "contributions enabling the creation of a scalable, robust and policy-based Internet."