GOVT. URGED TO TAKE LEAD IN TRANSITION TO IPv6
The govt. should be an active participant in the transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) from IPv4 some panelists said at an IPv6 public meeting sponsored by NTIA and the National Institute of Standards & Technology in Washington Wed. The transition is expected to have an impact on wireless and VoIP services. While admitting that market forces should be allowed to drive the transition, they said the govt. should: (1) Support R&D by providing funding for interoperability tests and research efforts on security. (2) Become an early adopter of the new technology. (3) Disseminate information through training workshops and meetings.
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“Government should provide the leadership,” N. American IPv6 Task Force Chmn. Jim Bound said: “I think there is a lot of leadership that’s required in this particular technology.” But industry representatives on the panel said regulators should avoid imposing unnecessary mandates. “Trying to control development of new technology or even directing it in a particular way,” as well as taxing it should be avoided, said TechNet CEO Rick White.
IPv6 was developed in the mid-1990s by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to replace IPv4, the common standard used today, but hasn’t been widely implemented. Michael Gallaher of Research Triangle Institute said although 500 address blocks have been assigned worldwide, including 75 in the U.S., “very limited use has been observed.” He said in the U.S., most major hardware and software vendors were or were planning to incorporate IPv6 into their network products, but only a few ISPs were offering IPv6 service. Internationally, he said “several regions have been more proactive in developing and deploying IPv6.” Gallaher said less than 1% of the U.S. population could currently receive IPv6 service: “The future of IPv6 will rest on many issues, including emergence of killer applications, security concerns, international competitiveness and government’s role in deployment.”
“The government is in a great position to articulate the need for this technology and work with the consumer electronics and IT industry, and the security industry… to discuss the need for this technology as a backbone,” said Microsoft Architectural Strategist Ted Tanner: “The articulation from the government is going to be one of the most helpful aspects.” GSA Assistant to Dir.-Program Management & Technology Gene Sokolowski said GSA was “trying to enroll service and facilitate it between our industry partners and customer agencies. As far as encouraging customer agencies, we are looking seriously at providing transitional assistance, so they can transition from IPv4 to IPv6.”
CTIA Vp-Wireless Internet Development Mark Desautels said IPv6 was “a lower priority for wireless carriers,” since there was only less than 5% of revenue coming from simple network services, such as ring tone. But he predicted enhanced applications would drive the revenue and draw wireless companies’ interest to IPv6.