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Internet Protocol: IPv6 launch on June 6
In a move signalling the advent of a new era, the Internet Society will shift from the current IPv4 regime to IPv6 on June 6.
New Delhi: In a move signalling the advent of a new era, the Internet Society will shift from the current IPv4 regime to IPv6 on June 6. The ‘World IPv6 Launch’ will see a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), hardware makers and websites, including a few from India, running the new generation of Internet Protocols.
IPv6 will make not much difference to most users because they will most probably continue to use IPv4 by default, as the switch to IPv6 is possible only when their computers, the networks and the content and service providers are ready for it.
The Internet Society says major ISPs, home-networking equipment manufacturers and web companies will join the global project, which comes after a test drive conducted on June 11, 2011, when many companies went the IPv6 way for a day.
Version 4, which is made up of a set of numbers that helps to recognize web addresses, facilitating communication from one point to the other, started getting exhausted with the rapid expansion of Internet. IPv6 is expected to give users more scope in digital addresses. Companies offering web-based services - such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo - will make it possible for users deploying IPv6 to use their sites and participating home-networking equipment makers such as Cisco and D-Link will enable IPv6 by default on their products by June 6.
“Although the registration deadline is May 30 - so there is still time - we don`t have much in the way of commitments from India yet. Perhaps, the service providers are not in a position to commit by June 6, but we do look forward to their being able to turn on IPv6 services soon. We don`t expect everyone to be able to do so immediately, and most will need to work through a transition plan, and perhaps we may see some further action in the coming months,” said Rajnesh D Singh, regional director, Asia-Pacific Bureau of the Internet Society. He also said there was awareness in the country on need for transition to IPv6.
“For the potential size of networks in India, the only solution for network operators [including mobile operators offering 3G] is IPv6; anything else is at best a band-aid solution, an interim measure that can affect network performance and user experience,” Singh said.