Next-generation Internet IPv6 Accelerated Landing Operators Busy Layout

The Internet Society held the World IPv6 Launch Day on June 6 to encourage the conversion and upgrade of IPv4 to IPv6. The benefits of IPv6 are enormous. Metaphorically speaking, IPv6 can assign an IP address to every grain of sand on earth. Once IPv6 is fully commercialized, the exhaustion of IP addresses will be completely resolved.

China is vigorously advancing the development of IPv6. Government departments have frequently introduced promotion policies. Operators have also begun to lay out and determine the development goals of IPv6. The "boots" are quietly landing.

The government issued a hard-to-find fund subsidy

Earlier this year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice to organize the implementation of R&D, industrialization, and commercialization of the next-generation Internet technology in 2012. According to the plan, as the main force for the development of the next generation of the Internet, the three major telecom operators must organize in a unified manner, select some pilot cities, transform the public metropolitan area network, provide IPv6 broadband access services, and achieve no less than 3 million IPv6 broadband in 2012. Access users. The NDRC also emphasized that the newly launched services of the telecom operators should basically support IPv6, while newly added fixed terminals and mobile terminals basically support IPv6.

"For communication equipment manufacturers and even mobile terminal manufacturers, they also require support for IPv6." Ma Yan, professor of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and CNISP vice chairman, said that "in recent years, China's IPv6 development has been rampant, operators, mobile phone operators, Internet companies and software vendors have low enthusiasm, because in the short term, the investment in building IPv6 is very large, but the return is relatively small. The government is more forward-looking, and the relevant policies and funding subsidies will be a good catalyst.”

In order to speed up the construction of IPv6, the National Development and Reform Commission has announced that it will use 8 billion yuan as a special fund for the development of the next generation of the Internet. "For operators who are in a period of declining profits, the construction of IPv6 networks would have put them on a heavy economic burden. With the deployment of special funds, it will reduce pressure for them." Ma Yan believes that through the current difficulties As IPv6 gradually accommodates more and more users in the promotion process, operators will usher in a bitter sweet moment.

Software and hardware companies: Someone is happy about someone

With the roots of IPv6, various companies in the industry chain have shown different attitudes.

"For communications equipment manufacturers, because the network needs to be transitioned, operators need to purchase switches, routers and other equipment after making a technical route. They may usher in some business opportunities," said an industry analyst. In contrast, Internet operators and software operators are not so lucky. "IPv4 and IPv6 have little difference for us." An Internet content service provider admitted that achieving corporate profitability is their primary goal. Without any profitable commercial applications, they have no incentive to migrate to IPv6.

However, Ma Yan believes that this is not a problem that he does not want to think about. "Like the telephone number 6-bit rises to 8-bit, this is a development trend. Rather than being forced to migrate to IPv6 by the market at the end, it's better to take the initiative and take precautions."

It is reported that the government has started to introduce a series of policies, clearly stating that commercialized websites should upgrade and support IPv4/IPv6 dual-agreement as soon as possible, encouraging influential commercial websites to independently carry out upgrades to support IPv6, and adopt post-subsidy methods as their The upgrade and reconstruction are completed, and 50 companies are selected to support it. The government will also give special support to the CNGI (“Project on Information Infrastructure Construction and Application Demonstration Based on Next-Generation Internet Network”) leading group and directly-affiliated institutions’ websites and commercial applications. Pilot city's government website, electronic information manufacturing industry, main business income of more than 10 billion yuan of corporate website upgrades.

The huge migration process is full of challenges

Although the development of IPv6 has already provided support for demand and policy support, it still has many challenges in the actual development of the next-generation Internet.

Yu Xiaohui, chief engineer of the Institute of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that China has already had the world's largest domestic network in terms of scale. The number of websites and netizens in China is also very large. The migration of such large-scale networks and websites to IPv6 has no international precedent. This not only means innovation space, but also means difficulties and risks. "The development of IPv6 terminals in China is lagging behind. This is not enough to support the large-scale migration of existing networks to IPv6. The industry needs to achieve breakthroughs and innovations in terminals, chips, and operating systems."

Yu Xiaohui said that in terms of the IPv6 standard, although China is currently basically able to keep up with international standards and meet the basic needs of China's IPv6 development, it needs further innovation and improvement in transition standards and application standards to support future IPv6. The more extensive development. "In addition to meeting these challenges, China will also need to accelerate the construction of an innovative environment for the new Internet architecture system in the evolution of IPv6 to meet the needs of future Internet development."

As Li Gange, president of the Guangdong Internet Association pointed out: “The transition to IPv6 is a complex system project. Apart from government promotion, it also covers operations, equipment, terminals, content, and basic resource services. Together, we can work together."