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Service Providers Switching To IPv6
By John Vinson
Expert Author
Article Date: 2011-02-11
If you haven't heard yet, the internet as we know it is coming to an end. As other articles of this type have stated; don't panic. With destruction, comes creation. As we wave goodbye to IPv4, the protocol we rely on, we say hello to IPv6. There have been many discussions regarding the switch, however, very few have mentioned what will happen to the ISPs.
Internet users will have very little, if anything to do when switching over to IPv6. For the ISPs, there is a tremendous amount of work to get done. Luckily, there is plenty of time to do it in. According to estimates, IPv4 addresses won't run out until the first or second quarter of next year. Beta tests, and events are in the works to get the protocol up and running.
ISP Colt will be one of the first services to try their hand at the protocol, when the V6 World Congress takes place in Paris. Colt's Nicolas Fischbach had a few things to say about the switch to IPv6, "The V6 event is the first one of its size that is dedicated to V6 and, to be honest, I think itÕs the right point in time,"
Fischbach believes the timing of the event couldn't be any better, "Last year it would probably have been too early, next year would be probably too late. I think the good thing is there are a lot of people already turning up and presenting, and sharing their experiences. It will help shape the perception, tone down the panic, explain the value to the enterprise, the service provider, the consumer Š what this is really about."
The biggest struggle ISPs will face is implementation issues. All kinds of things will be bound to break. Which is why it is so vital that there is time this year to work out all the kinks.
An interesting fact to remember in all of this is IPv4 isn't going to simply disappear when IPv6 rolls along. They two will have to live in tandem. According to Fischbach, it could be fifteen to twenty years before IPv4 would be totally obsolete.
The change is inevitable. The good thing is customers won't have to do anything on their end to make this switch. For ISPs, many are already lined up at the door to receive the IPv6 protocol. While there's nothing to worry about as of yet, many of these providers want to get started early and have everything ready to go in 2012.
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for WebProNews.
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