Stop shouting slogans, how to implement IPv6? Operators give details

IPv6, which is "not fast enough to keep up with the pace of change", has been repeatedly called for "deployment as soon as possible" in major forums in recent years. Today, the Internet of Everything and 5G have put forward new requirements for IPv6. When will the deployment be completed? How to deploy it? At the recent "Global Next Generation Internet Summit", operators gave practical actions.

Zhao Huiling, executive director of the China Institute of Communications, said that China now has strong conditions for the development of IPv6. The three major operators have made great investments to upgrade end-to-end network capabilities. Domestically, the three major operators, equipment manufacturers, scientific research institutions, and universities are jointly promoting the industry IPv6 standard system. "Currently, support for IPv6 in the field of the Internet of Things is more focused on low power consumption," she emphasized.

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At the same time, the three major operators respectively interpreted their actual actions and suggestions in promoting IPv6.

Yang Zhiqiang, deputy director of the China Academy of Mobile Communications, put forward three suggestions: First, the development of IPv6 needs to be promoted end-to-end. The three links of end, pipe and cloud are all important, but the most important thing to truly form IPv6 traffic is application; second, seize the opportunity brought by 5G and create a new IPv6 ecosystem. 4G seizes the opportunity to upgrade the entire network, terminals and its own services. 5G must form a system designed for vertical industries from the beginning so that it can be deeply integrated with vertical industries in the future; third, from the security aspect, further strengthen the impact of IPv6 on security. IPv6 brings a huge increase in address space, which actually enhances our security to a certain extent, but it also brings new risks to a certain extent.

According to Tang Xiongyan, a senior expert at China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute, the current IPv6 promotion still faces challenges: 1. The commercial driving force is not strong, lacking killer applications and unique business and commercial value; 2. The industry chain is not coordinated enough. Most domestic commercial websites and service providers lack the ability to transition to IPv6, and ordinary end users have no motivation to migrate to IPv6; 3. Network security faces challenges. The security risks of IPv6 networks have not been fully exposed, bringing new challenges to network and information security, and international exports are restricted. 4. The pressure on network operations has increased. The network side simultaneously operates and maintains two protocol stacks, IPv4 and IPv6, which puts higher requirements on network operations and maintenance; 5. The increase in network construction investment.

Tang Xiongyan said that China Unicom's IPv6 development strategy is to focus on dual stack at this stage, actively guide users to use IPv6, and gradually transition to IPv6 single stack in the future. For public services, it is only dual stack at this stage, guiding IPv6 access priority. In terms of industry applications, tunnel deployment and other solutions can be selected according to needs to provide customers with IPv6 migration services. For self-operated closed businesses, IPv6 end-to-end single stack solutions can be directly adopted.

At the same time, he also revealed China Unicom's IPv6 promotion goals: this year's infrastructure will fully support IPv6 from metropolitan area networks, backbone networks, transmission networks, and the international Internet, and realize backbone network/international IPv6 interconnection and interoperability. Business/network support systems, headquarters big data platforms, and newly added core data center systems will support IPv6, and IDCs of level 4 and above and newly built CDNs will fully support IPv6. Businesses and applications must also support IPv6. In 2018, there will be no less than 10 million mobile Internet IPv6 users, China Unicom's 100 external websites and applications will be transformed to IPv6, and production platforms such as IPTV and positioning will complete IPv6 transformation.

Xie Chongfeng from China Telecom Beijing Research Institute said that in 2018, China Telecom is fully launching the IPv6 capability of the network, and will focus on supporting the IPv6 transformation of government websites, central enterprises, central media, and Internet applications in the near future. While deploying IPv6 on a large scale, it will actively explore the basic development of pure IPv6 in the future, pay attention to the security of IPv6 network and information, and strengthen protection during development. In the future, it will work closely with industry partners to jointly promote the development of IPv6 in my country.