Transitioning to IPv6: What Communications Service Providers Need to Know

IPv6 is increasingly important because of the rapid increase in the number of IP-addressable devices being used today. While IPv6 solves the addressing problem, it also brings with it added capabilities that work well in a next-generation OSS/BSS context. IPv6 network migrations can be positive for back offices that are prepared to manage and leverage this protocol’s advanced capabilities.

Internet Protocol version 6, better known as IPv6, is a hot topic of discussion for services providers — and for good reason. The Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget have mandated a transition for this next generation of Internet infrastructure by June 30, 2008. While the transition to IPv6 is mandatory for some, the switch is inevitable for everyone.

IPv6 is critical to the survival of all service providers as the future of the industry revolves around IP. Customers are using wireless smartphones and new in-home devices that require IP addresses for features like e-mail, Internet, streaming video, music, gaming and much more. Service providers that adopt IPv6 will prosper because of the added functionality offered by the new platform; those that continue to use IPv4 ultimately will be stifled by its technological limitations. Most operators will find, however, that their next-generation OSS plans will mesh will IPv6’s capabilities.

WHAT IS IPV6?
IPv6 is the next generation of IP, whereas IPv4 is the version in predominant use today. IPv4 was designed in the 1970s with no way of anticipating the demands of today’s Internet. IPv6, however, was designed in the past 10 years and corrects many of IPv4’s shortcomings in areas such as security, privacy, convergence and the number of IP addresses.

IPv4’s current system inventory of IP addresses — some 4 billion unique addresses — is being exhausted quickly due to the proliferation of devices that require their own IP address. According to a study conducted by Geoff Huston of Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, unique IP addresses in IPv4 all will be assigned in 2010. IPv6 helps solve the IP address shortage because it supports 340 trillion trillion trillion unique addresses.

IPv6 will bring superior reliability, flexibility and security to the Internet. It is viewed by many as a long-term solution for the IP dilemma. Internet engineers often tout the advantage IPv6 offers in scaling to large numbers of addresses, but IPv6 holds other advantages in enhanced security mechanisms, network automation, support for wireless mobility and a standard way to add future extensions.

Source: Command Information 
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WHY IPV6?
The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is beneficial to all service providers and customers because it leads to greater innovation, efficiency and success. Generally, the timeline for any company to catch up from a technology refresh is five to 10 years. Therefore, if companies begin to transition to IPv6 in 2007, the date for total adoption among other companies in the industry will occur between 2012 and 2017. By adopting and implementing IPv6 sooner rather than later, service providers will be a step ahead of the curve. Take a cue from the federal government, which has in the past been criticized for being behind the technology adoption curve, yet is leading the charge toward IPv6 adoption with its 2008 mandate.

There is a lot of misinformation about IPv6 circulating and it is important for service providers to be well-informed when designing adoption strategies. For instance, many people are under the impression IPv6 is just a more secure version of IP. While IPv6 can be highly secure, the security features bundled with IPv6 must be activated and used for it to take effect. Truthfully, the Internet is not changing; it is being updated to be expandable. The designers of IPv6 based their research on more than 25 years of operational experience running the Internet and foresaw an incredibly more robust communication vehicle in IPv6.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF IPV6 FOR CSPS
IPv6 brings many new features including a new header format, larger address space, efficient addressing for routing infrastructure, stateless and stateful address configuration, built-in IPSec security, extensibility, better support for future QoS improvements and new protocols for automatic configuration with neighboring devices. These features can be leveraged in various applications, such as for self-forming sensor networks, new multimedia content-delivery systems, Internet TV broadcast and first-responder health-tracking systems.

One of the most powerful features included in IPv6 is the extension header. An extension header is the standard way to create and extend new service to an IPv6 network. Extension headers allow Internet engineers to define new network services without having to rewrite the IP itself or add the changes in additional application-layer code. This feature has enabled mobility and security services that enhance mobile messaging and VoIP calling to be added easily to IPv6 networks. The team that designed IPv6 already knew a great deal about how the next Internet protocol should work. Even though future technology needs are unknown, IPv6 engineers anticipated growth and created extension headers as a solution to make future improvements for QoS, automation and security easy to add.

One way to visualize how the added benefits of IPv6 work is to think of IPv6 as a train and benefits are separate cars that can be attached to the locomotive. Each of the cars represents a benefit that can be added to the locomotive as needed. As a result, IPv6 will enable service providers to have greater extensibility so future growth can be implemented.

In May, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) issued an announcement that “the migration to IPv6 is necessary for any applications that require ongoing availability from ARIN of contiguous IP number resources.” Additionally, the Internet Engineering Task Force has created a timeline outlining the dates for all organizations and service providers to move to IPv6 by 2011. Therefore, it is urgent for service providers to transition to IPv6.

Source: Command Information 

TRANSITION TO THE FUTURE
Communications providers should follow similar transition guidelines to other companies, paying specific attention to implementation strategies (see sidebar above). Small service providers may be able to manage the transition themselves while larger providers should consider enlisting the help of a consultant who is well-versed in IPv6 implementation.

Large telecommunications companies that are building wireless networks requiring IP addresses will need expandable addressing to maintain their services on 3G and 4G wireless networks. The Internet numbering registries already are reluctant to provide companies with additional large IPv4 address blocks to expand new services. By using IPv6 for 3G and 4G wireless, service providers can provide an end-to-end IP solution where voice, data and streamed multimedia can be served to users on an anytime/anywhere basis at higher data rates than previous generations.

If a telecom carrier forgoes the IPv6 transition altogether, extensibility will suffer. While companies still will be able to work on IPv4, it will be limiting and very expensive long term. IPv4 will not stop working, it will run in parallel to IPv6 for many years, but there will be numerous extra features and functionality available to those using IPv6. While the two versions run together, there will be initial increases in operational costs for IPv6 adoption that most likely will have to be passed on to the customer. However, in the long run, IPv6 will be easier to use and more cost effective.

By continuing business operations on IPv4, the price to telecom carriers’ consumers will increase in the long run and services will not run as smoothly. For instance, remote access to work will be harder to run from home and peer-to-peer applications and networking will become difficult to manage. By avoiding or delaying the transition to IPv6, service providers will find it increasingly difficult to service client networks.

IPv6 IS OSS/BSS-FRIENDLY
When service providers consider their existing OSS/BSS infrastructure, IPv6 can be integrated and will help to streamline services. IPv6 was set up with auto-configuration networking, which is a set of techniques that automatically create a usable IP network without configuration or special servers to allow users to connect computers, network printers and other items together. Various systems can work together automatically without the assistance from a vendor to set up. Many protocols added to IPv4 over the years have yielded similar results, but there is no single standard. Therefore, manufacturers have had to support multiple protocols (IPX, Appletalk, Netbios) with different operational models. IPv6 standardizes the process so that it links local addressing along with neighbor and service discovery. This feature enables IPv6 to be integrated with and managed more easily by existing OSS/BSS systems and processes.

IPv6 also adds flexibility since it works with current and future QoS technologies. IPv6 currently provides the same types of QoS support (differentiated services and integrated services) found in IPv4; however, IPv6 has a flow-label field that supports future switching protocols — whatever the next MPLS might be. Future QoS protocols can be added to IPv6 via extension headers without modifying the basic IPv6 protocol, which helps carriers fully leverage the service-assurance capabilities in which they continue to invest.