The 1999 International Workshop on Interactive Distributed Multimedia Sys­ tems and Telecommunication Services (IDMS) in Toulouse is the sixth in a se­ ries that started in 1992. The previous workshops were held in Stuttgart in 1992, Hamburg in 1994, Berlin in 1996, Darmstadt in 1997, and Oslo in 1998. The area of interest of IDMS ranges from basic system technologies, such as networking and operating system support, to all kinds of teleservices and distributed multimedia applications. Technical solutions for telecommunications and distributed multimedia systems are merging and quality-of-service (QoS) will play a key role in both areas. However, the range from basic system tech­ nologies to distributed mutlimedia applications and teleservices is still very broad and we have to understand the implications of multimedia applications and their requirements for middleware and networks. We are challenged to develop new and more fitting solutions for all distributed multimedia systems and telecom­ munication services to meet the requirements of the future information society.