A sign of alarm

28/11/2014

According to Jaris Aizprúa, engineer at Huawei and an active participant in LACNIC’s IPv6 workshops, “the region is not prepared” to use IPV6 because the vast majority of Latin American and Caribbean operators and organizations are “waiting for their IPv4 resources to run out” in order to “begin thinking about” the latest Internet protocol.

In Aizprúa’s opinion, organizations should understand the need for IPv6 right now, “not when their IPv4 reserves begin to run out.”

Aizprúa told LACNIC News that he believes the first step towards IPv6 should be training on the urgent need for this protocol.

– The challenge is using IPv6 once IPv4 is exhausted. Is the region prepared for this? has enough been done to avoid holding back Internet development?

I think the region is not prepared, as we have waited until resources have run out in order to begin thinking about IPv6.

– Are the region’s companies aware of the pressing need to use IPv6?

Most organizations aren’t ready and don’t see the need for IPv6 because they still have enough IPv4 resources. In fact, because they are still connected to the Internet, they are not worried about IPv6 at all.

– What should be done to further promote the latest Internet protocol in Latin America?

People should become aware of the need for IPv6 right now, not when their IPv4 reserves begin to run out. Training is a very important issue, not so much training on technical aspects but specifically on the need for IPv6.

– In your opinion, what might happen in the region if certain countries make more progress than others in relation to IPv6 deployment and utilization?

It will allow them to fully exploit the benefits of IPv6, such as end-to-end connectivity, the Internet of Things, etc.

– What can you tell us about IPv6 deployment in Ecuador?

There is currently very little IPv6 deployment. Only one ISP is already offering IPv6 for residential users, a breakthrough considering that these users are the ones demanding the most IPvX resources and Internet traffic. Other providers are still not offering IPv6 to their residential users and companies haven’t enabled IPv6 on their services, specifically government agencies, which should be prioritized due to the high local traffic that exists today.