In December 2024, Belize—a country on the eastern coast of Central America with a population of over 400,000—had an IPv6 penetration rate of just 4.5%. Today, that figure exceeds 55%.
What drove this significant increase in IPv6 adoption?
A key factor behind this growth was the deployment efforts led by Digi, the brand name of Belize Telemedia Ltd.Digi owns and operates the country’s most extensive telecommunications network, providing fixed-line, mobile, broadband, and business solutions. The company holds approximately 70% of Belize’s Internet market.
To learn more about the strategies implemented, challenges faced, and lessons learned during the deployment, we spoke with Leslie Lamb, Senior Network Operations Specialist | NOC BO (Transport Backbone), who worked with Senior Designer John Quewell | FTNE-Active and project manager Mrs. Cheryl Bosch at Digi.
Our COO, Leonardo Calle, envisioned the implementation. * About ten years ago, we conducted initial IPv6 tests, though they were limited to a small group of Internet customers. When Leonardo proposed expanding the deployment, we brought in Simeon Company Chile, with project support from José Cotua.
Our approach began at the network edge. Since we already had eBGP sessions with multiple Internet service providers, we were able to establish IPv6 connectivity through those existing eBGP sessions. However, with the support of Simeon, we were able to strengthen security at the network edge and optimize BGP configurations.
In December, we conducted a successful deployment in a lab. After confirming its effectiveness, we expanded the implementation across the entire fixed network, rolling it out to our fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers—around 40,000 users. That was the major breakthrough. Since we didn’t receive any complaints from our customers, we proceeded with a full-scale deployment between January and February of this year.
Our COO, Leonardo Calle, envisioned the implementation. * About ten years ago, we conducted initial IPv6 tests, though they were limited to a small group of Internet customers. When Leonardo proposed expanding the deployment, we brought in Simeon Company Chile, with project support from José Cotua.
Our approach began at the network edge. Since we already had eBGP sessions with multiple Internet service providers, we were able to establish IPv6 connectivity through those existing eBGP sessions. However, with the support of Simeon, we were able to strengthen security at the network edge and optimize BGP configurations.
In December, we conducted a successful deployment in a lab. After confirming its effectiveness, we expanded the implementation across the entire fixed network, rolling it out to our fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers—around 40,000 users. That was the major breakthrough. Since we didn’t receive any complaints from our customers, we proceeded with a full-scale deployment between January and February of this year.
This graph shows the overall percentage usage for IPv4 and IPv6 traffic. It shows that IPv4 is using an average of 50-55 % and IPv6 is using an average of40-45 % of the overall traffic.
How many CDNs do you have in operation?
We have four content providers with a total of nine CDNs, all of which support IPv6:
At LACNIC, we encourage organizations to involve multiple teams in IPv6 deployments. How many departments within your company were aware of the transition?
Before implementing any major change or migration, we always make sure to inform all relevant teams. At Digi, we have a staff of 700 employees across 10 to 14 departments. The technical department was fully aware of the deployment, as was the sales team, though they weren’t necessarily involved in every detail.
Additionally, we conducted training sessions for our technical staff to prepare them for troubleshooting and to help them understand what to expect. Since they were used to working with ONTs (Optical Network Terminals) that only supported IPv4, it was important to familiarize them with the transition. We received valuable resources from Simeon and LACNIC as well.
Can you share more details about the training sessions?
The training first included introductory sessions on IPv6 as a whole, covering BGP and routing with IPv6. The second phase focused specifically on how to implement IPv6 in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. While conducting lab testing, we faced some challenges, but José from Simeon helped us overcome them. After successfully validating everything in the lab, we integrated IPv6 into our systems. We had extensive training to ensure that when the time came for full deployment, we had the confidence and expertise to execute it successfully.
Also, Simeon ensured we understood each step and felt comfortable with the transition.
What were the main challenges faced?
One of the biggest challenges was the integration with CISCO’s BNG. We ran into a configuration issue that, although successfully resolved, caused a delay in the project.
established a separate DNS and DHCP server in a local cloud. These components will be fully integrated into their productionDNS and DHCP environments in the coming months
What recommendations would you give to other companies looking to implement IPv6?
Since IPv6 was new to us, my main advice is to work with a company or organization that has expertise in Ipv6. This makes a huge difference.
In the past, mobile data and voice services were our primary revenue streams. However, as you can imagine, things have shifted, and fixed Internet—fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)—is now our main source of income. Therefore, making sure everything went smoothly was a top priority. Our customers trust us, so we ensured nothing would negatively impact their experience during the deployment.
Leslie has been actively involved in the Internet community, attending LACNIC events in Panama and Peru. One of the things that stood out the most was the support and motivation from LACNIC, which encouraged the company to move forward with IPv6 deployment. However, at the time, the company had some concerns about potential service disruptions. “We really appreciate the encouragement LACNIC gives to Internet providers. Once you have the right professionals guiding you, it’s not as difficult as it seems.”
And as if that weren’t enough, Digi’s next big step will be deploying IPv6 on its mobile network.
At LACNIC we offer resources and training on IPv6. We invite you to meet them
