IPv6 Is Dominant, But Has The World Actually Moved On?

The changeover from volume-limited IPv4 to IPv6 launched 6 years ago, and now, according to Internet Society, IPv6 is dominant. 25% of connections to Google services, a bellwether for the success of a technology, are done via IPv6. Despite this, it’s not as clear whether the change has taken effect globally and whether tangible benefits are being felt. While some nations are taking to IPv6 and are innovating with aplomb, many are still struggling to engage with IPv4.

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Implementation done well

A great place to look at as a test market for IPv6 is Belgium. Belgium adopted the technology early and fully, with the vast majority of the country’s 10 million citizens connecting via IPv6. Incentives for telecom companies to provide deployment and education led to an IPv6-positive roll out with a focus on customer service, enabling most consumers to address common technical concerns associated with the switch in IP service, such as Wi-Fi configuration issues. Where innovation has been focused deals with cross compatibility. Companies have heavily invested in dual-stack use of IPv4/6 in new hardware, according to The Register, to allow secure communications between up-to-speed countries, like Belgium, and those lagging behind.

Being left behind

Despite the worldwide drive to the new and shiny IPv6 technology, countries are being left behind. Nigeria recently broached the subject of moving towards IPv6, but was rebuffed by ministers noting the slow uptake of IPv4 and poor use of its technologies. The major risk here is that developing countries are left simply unable to bring new users online due to the dearth of available addresses.

Providing some solution to this issue is the ongoing proliferation of VPNs. As one analysis conducted by the University of South California outlined, NAT connections have long provided a way to disperse IP addresses without eating up extra allocation. The issue here is that bottlenecking through single points can reduce the speed and service, a major issue in developing countries. VPNs are providing an alternative route here.

The benefit of slow adoption

IPv6 is an exciting technology, but the idea of functionally infinite internet connections should not be taken lightly. A British politician recently floated the idea of tracking all of Britain’s 200 million knives in efforts to combat crime, and pop culture tech website Jinglepings have achieved fame – or notoriety – for their IPv6 display, which uses the connection equivalent of the current internet, 75 times over. While such ideas are interesting and, in Jinglepings case, fun, they do nod towards a potential for wasteful abuse of the technology. IP management has long been a high-profile area for many companies, and the cautious use of IP addresses should be maintained.

IPv6 is rolling out, but the technology isn’t having as much of an impact as it could do. While smaller countries like Belgium act as great case studies, other developing nations risk being left behind. There will come a time when IPv6 is an accepted and useful standard, but there’s some way to go yet.

–EOF (The Ultimate Computing & Technology Blog) —