centre of attention
THE JOY OF SIX
Nathalie Künneke-Trenaman of RIPE NCC explains why IPv6 is the only option for securing the future of the Internet .
Last year 3.2 billion people used the Internet according to the ITU , connecting a total of 4.9 billion devices ( Gartner ). Most of these used IPv4 addresses , but IPv4 is running out – and fast . That means there ’ s a big problem looming , with Gartner predicting 20 billion devices will be using the Internet in 2020 , and Ericsson predicting 70 per cent of the world ’ s population will be online using a mobile phone by then . Consumer behaviour is changing , and people are spending more and more time online , as well as expecting to connect more devices than ever before . This increasing demand on Internet infrastructure is only going to grow , making the need for IPv6 increasingly pressing .
The state of the Internet today Every device which connects to the Internet needs an IP address to identify it . This was originally done using IPv4 , which was designed to supply 4.3 billion addresses , but in most of the world it ’ s already completely exhausted – including North America , which announced in 2015 that it had absolutely no IPv4 addresses left .
IPv6 , the replacement for IPv4 , has space for 340 trillion , trillion , trillion addresses which is enough to tide us far beyond the foreseeable future . The only real barrier to adoption is that IPv4 and IPv6 do not speak the same language , which means a customer using just one won ’ t be able to connect to a business using the other .
IPv6 use is growing . Eleven per cent of worldwide users access Google via IPv6 at present , and this number will increase quickly , with tech heavyweights like Apple making IPv6 support essential in iOS 9 , and the two largest UK Internet Service Providers intent on making the transition – Sky has already made massive progress towards full IPv6 deployment and BT has committed to switching all of its UK customers onto IPv6 by the end of the 2016-17 financial year .
Workarounds and temporary solutions Amid all this positive change towards IPv6 , some businesses – telecoms providers included – remain locked in the old mindset of relying on IPv4 . These businesses rely on workaround measures such as Carrier-Grade NAT and IPv4 trading to try and extend their IPv4 supplies , believing these workarounds to be cheaper and easier than deploying IPv6 . However , each of these workarounds is flawed , and businesses should be wary of continuing to rely on these temporary solutions for much longer .
CG NATs have been used for many years now to stretch the life of IPv4 , typically sharing a single IP address between thousands of customers . However , the technology cannot scale indefinitely , and each time a NAT is layered it adds complexity and increases the chance that something will break . This may sound innocuous but the consequences could be serious . When a NAT breaks , lots of people are affected ; whereas if an end-toend connected IPv6 address breaks , only one person is . Businesses who keep using NATs in the long term run the risk of incurring needless management fees . Not only this , but some services , such as video conferencing and business sharing tools , simply won ’ t work over NATs because they rely on end-to-end connectivity , one of the founding principles of the Internet .
IPv4 trading is a newer solution , involving countries and organisations selling IPv4 addresses to others who need them . It ’ s a dangerous market , with the price entirely driven by demand ; as IPv4 addresses become scarcer , the price will continue to
10
centre of attention
THE JOY OF SIX
Nathalie Künneke-Trenaman of RIPE NCC explains why IPv6
is the only option for securing the future of the Internet.
L
ast year 3.2 billion people
used the Internet according
to the ITU, connecting a
total of 4.9 billion devices
(Gartner). Most of these
used IPv4 addresses, but IPv4 is
running out – and fast. That means
there’s a big problem looming, with
Gartner predicting 20 billion devices
will be using the Internet in 2020,
and Ericsson predicting 70 per cent
of the world’s population will be
online using a mobile phone by then.
Consumer behaviour is changing, and
people are spending more and more
time online, as well as expecting
to connect more devices than ever
before. This increasing demand on
Internet infrastructure is only going
to grow, making the need for IPv6
increasingly pressing.
trillion addresses which is enough to
tide us far beyond the foreseeable
future. The only real barrier to
adoption is that IPv4 and IPv6 do
not speak the same language,
which means a customer using just
one won’t be able to connect to a
business using the other.
IPv6 use is growing. Eleven per
cent of worldwide users access
Google via IPv6 at present, and this
number will increase quickly, with
tech heavyweights like Apple making
IPv6 support essential in iOS 9, and
the two largest UK Internet Service
Providers intent on making the
transition – Sky has already made
massive progress towards full IPv6
deployment and BT has committed
to switching all of its UK customers
onto IPv6 by the end of the 2016-17
financial year.
The state of the Internet today
Every device which connects to the
Internet needs an IP address to
identify it. This was originally done
using IPv4, which was designed to
supply 4.3 billion addresses, but
in most of the world it’s already
completely exhausted – including
North America, which announced in
2015 that it had absolutely no IPv4
addresses left.
IPv6, the replacement for IPv4,
has space for 340 trillion, trillion,
10
Workarounds and
temporary solutions
Amid all this positive change towards
IPv6, some businesses – telecoms
providers included – remain locked
in the old mindset of relying on IPv4.
These businesses rely on workaround
measures such as Carrier-Grade NAT
and IPv4 trading to try and extend
their IPv4 supplies, believing these
workarounds to be cheaper and
easier than deploying IPv6. However,
each of these workarounds is flawed,
and businesses should be wary of
continuing to rely on these temporary
solutions for much longer.
CG NATs have been used for
many years now to stretch the life
of IPv4, typically sharing a single
IP address between thousands
of customers. However, the
technology cannot scale indefinitely,
and each time a NAT is layered it
adds complexity and increases the
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