What really happens when you make a Zoom call?

Behind the simple click of “Join Meeting,” a whole chain of dependencies comes into play: from mobile networks and submarine cables to data centers, power grids, and even fuel supply chains. Each link in this chain can be a point of strength… or a point of failure.

That’s what the Internet Resilience Mapping Working Group is unpacking right now. Using the “life of a packet” through a real-world scenario (a Zoom call from South Africa to the UK), we are charting how the Internet works across different layers: upper-layer functions, lower-layer infrastructure, and critical external dependencies. Importantly, how actors are involved in the packet journey, and how this helps global stakeholders with resilience initiatives. We’re also showing how disruptions cascade through the system, and what resilience looks like in action.

This work builds on the momentum of our recent Global Briefing Summary and will be featured at the Internet Resilience Forum on November 14 in Los Angeles.

Be part of the conversation:

• Express your interest in joining the Mapping Working Group
• Register to attend the IR Forum in Los Angeles

Our Working Group already brings together expertise from across the ecosystem:

Mapping the Life of a Packet: Voices from the Mapping Working Group

The Internet has permeated every aspect of our daily life — and yet, we rarely stop to think about what keeps it running.

In this short video series, Fiona Alexander and Maarten Botterman, co-chairs of the Marconi Internet Resilience Institute’s Mapping Working Group, share why mapping the “life of a packet” matters for understanding the real foundations of Internet resilience.

Fiona Alexander: “Every sector has a role to play.”

“The Internet has permeated every aspect of our daily lives, and we take for granted that it’ll always be up and running. Tracing the life of a packet allows us to identify the actors, sectors, and issues that go far beyond traditional communications companies.”

Fiona explains how the group’s work connects the dots between the Internet’s technical layers and the broader systems — from energy to governance — that keep it resilient.

Watch Fiona’s interview to learn how this approach helps us see who’s really keeping the Internet up and running.

Maarten Botterman: “No single sector can secure the Internet alone.”

“Internet resilience really depends on hidden links — not just inside the Internet, but also with electricity, finance, and more. Mapping these dependencies makes them visible, so we can act together to keep it reliable.”

Maarten reflects on the collaborative spirit of the Mapping Working Group:

“We know so much, but none of us knows it all by ourselves. No single sector can secure the Internet alone.”

He highlights how bringing experts from different domains is helping to build a common language for resilience, one that benefits operators, enterprises, policymakers, and ultimately, all users.

Watch Maarten’s interview and see how resilience becomes real when we follow a packet’s journey.

Why does this matter?

Resilience is the lived reality of keeping society connected. 

The Mapping Working Group’s model shows that Internet resilience isn’t just a technical question: it’s about people, systems, and shared responsibility.

Their findings will be discussed with the broader community on November 14^th at the Internet Resilience Forum in Los Angeles.