The Final Step towards IPv6 Deployment

30/04/2014

Over a period of seven weeks, LACNIC professionals and experts visited more than 36 operators and many other government agencies in nine countries throughout the region to report on the impending exhaustion of the regional IPv4 address stock and discuss which actions should be taken to ensure continued Internet growth.

Considered a success, the tour proved that there is already awareness on switching to IPv6 but that “the final step towards IPv6 deployment still needs to be taken,” said Juan Peirano, Policy Officer at LACNIC.

In addition to these custom visits, five virtual talks on IPv6 exhaustion were presented in which more than 200 people participated.

Peirano highlighted the responsiveness of both companies and government organizations in every country visited by the tour. “People are aware that the transition is inevitable. How quickly the transition to IPv6 will occur depends on each organization,” explained Peirano.

He highlighted the fact that several providers expressed their surprised at the date on which IPv4 exhaustion is expected to occur – it is expected any day now – and made a commitment to accelerating the transition. “A key aspect is that organizations must have the human resources needed to carry out IPv6 plans,” added Peirano.

According to their estimates, two major Latin American companies are expected to be fully IPv6-enabled.

The tour was also well received at government level – several countries have been working on this for a long time through legislation that promotes the use of IPv6.

To date, more than six out of ten Internet organizations in the LACNIC service region have already received at least one block of IPv6 addresses, the new technology that is currently replacing the IPv4 protocol.

According to LACNIC’s technical records, Brazil leads the ranking of countries with the most IPv6 assignments, followed by Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.