What are the two key characteristics that make TCP/IP the dominant protocol suite?

It is an open standard (free for any vendor to use) and standards-based (approved by standards organizations) — so multi-vendor products interoperate.

TCP/IP is:

1. An open standard protocol suite - Freely available to the public and can be used by any vendor without licensing fees

2. A standards-based protocol suite - Endorsed by the networking industry and approved by standards organizations to ensure interoperability

Benefits: Because TCP/IP is open and standards-based, products from different vendors can work together, promoting competition and innovation.

Go deeper:

• Open standard — what "open" and "standards-based" mean and why they drive interoperability.
• Internet protocol suite — how TCP/IP's openness made it the dominant suite.