ISPs Plan for IPv6 Transition
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 · 
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IPv6 is a hot topic on the minds of most network administrators. It’s the next-generation of IP, the standard which governs communication on the Internet.
IPv4 is currently widely used and accepted, but there are a finite amount of IPv4 public addresses, and we are quickly nearing the end of our pot of unreserved and unused addresses.
On January 19, 2010, the Number Resource Organization (NRO) announced that more than 90% of IPv4 addresses have been allocated. Most experts agree that the crop of IPv4 address will run out by 2012, if not before.
In order to transmit and receive data on the Internet, every device must have an IP address. As smartphones, gaming consoles, and WiFi-enabled devices such as a cameras, home alarm systems and even refrigerators become commonplace, the pool of unallocated IPv4 addresses is quickly dwindling. To ensure that the Internet continues to function and grow from a content and user perspective, the network must be upgraded to run on IPv6.
Several tier-one operators recently announced IPv6 transition plans. Comcast paved the way in January 2010. The cable operator has been able to obtain IPv4 addresses for its ISP customers, but not necessarily for those customers’ cable modems and set-top-boxes. With 25 million TV, 15 million ISP, and 6 million Comcast Digital Voice subscribers, Comcast is feeling the address scarcity first-hand. The cable operator is planning a four-stage trial involving dual-stack, dual-stack lite and tunneling transition methods.
Verizon announced just a few weeks ago that it too will commence an IPv6 trial for its fiber-to-the-home FiOS customers. The trial involves a dozen Verizon employees, who all live in Northern Virginia. Verizon will be using dual-stack and tunneling transition methods.
Every ISP will need to ensure that its customers can painlessly migrate to IPv6, while also planning for a transition period where IPv4 and IPv6 will co-exist.
To learn more about what IPv6 can offer, the interoperability methods available, and how rural telcos should respond to the forthcoming version 6 transition, read NTCA’s new ePaper, IPv6: Where Are We Now?
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