centre of attention
rise until the point where obtaining
IPv4 costs more than rolling out
IPv6, when there will be a sudden
shift and the price of IPv4 addresses
will plummet. Furthermore, when
an IPv4 address changes hands,
it sometimes leaves the region it
was originally assigned in – your
customer could be in Saudi Arabia
and using an IP address that
originally belonged to a network
in Romania, and as a result might
encounter situations where a service
is blocked or different local content
is served because the provider thinks
they are in a different region.
Practical considerations
With the risk and additional
complexity of continuing to rely
on IPv4, businesses should begin
their IPv6 deployment process
sooner rather than later. However,
deploying IPv6 requires careful
planning, training and compatible
equipment. While it’s easy to ensure
that new technology bought during
routine hardware upgrade cycles
is IPv6 compatible, a full IPv6
deployment is not an overnight
project, and takes a carefully
considered deployment plan and
IPv6 training program for staff.
upgrading relevant hardware and
software and ensuring that everyone
involved is suitably trained, through to
getting management sign-off, actually
deploying IPv6 and then evaluating
the results. By taking a cohesive,
step-by-step approach to IPv6
deployment, each stage becomes far
more manageable.
This is a crucial year for IPv6
adoption, not only to deliver services
to current customers, but also to
safeguard future growth. It’s time for
telecoms providers to get on board.
IPv6 use is growing. Eleven per cent of
worldwide users access Google via IPv6 at
present, and this number will increase quickly.
These risks make workarounds
impractical for the telecoms industry,
which relies on clear, direct network
connections to reliably provide
services to customers. As a result,
IPv6 is an essential step to safeguard
businesses now and in the future.
IPv6 isn’t just an eventual necessity;
adopting now can provide significant
benefits for businesses.
The future of Internet innovation
relies on IPv6, from driverless cars
to the Internet of Things. Data
centres and telecoms providers can
attract innovators by offering a future
proofed environment, and waiting
for wider adoption of IPv6 will mean
missing out on new opportunities –
and customers.
Building an IPv6
project plan is a relatively
simple process, although
it can seem to many like
a difficult task, the RIPE
NCC has a six step guide
on how to achieve this.
The process spans from
identifying those
affected by an
IPv6 deployment,
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