NRO Statement to the CIR Session
Good morning ministers, ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for giving the NRO the opportunity to discuss the pressing issue of IPv6 deployment.
The NRO consists of five Regional Internet Registries, or RIRs – AFRINIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC and the RIPE NCC. All of these organizations are represented at the Internet Governance Forum this week. Together, the RIRs represent, and are supported by, over 15,000 of organizations around the world, who coordinate the administration of part of the Internet’s fundamental infrastructure.
As we are all aware by now, we are approaching the depletion of the unallocated IPv4 address pool. Therefore, one of the most significant Internet issues right now is the global deployment of IPv6.
With this in mind, the NRO organized a workshop, held yesterday, called “IPv6 Around The World”. In it, participants discussed real-world examples of successful IPv6 deployments and initiatives, and identified best common practices in planning, capacity building and deployment of IPv6. Several important themes emerged from this session:
- IPv6-specific initiatives that bring together different stakeholder groups have a dramatic effect on IPv6 adoption. Examples such as go6 in Slovenia and NIC.BR in Brazil have resulted in significant uptake in those countries, and can offer models for other regions and economies to adopt.
- The primary driver for IPv6 is business continuity – as the IPv4 Internet reaches capacity, organizations must adopt IPv6. Without IPv6, networks will not be able to grow and organizations will not be able to provide all services to all users.
- Governments have a clear role to play in this area and can be key pushers of technological innovation. Many governments have already deployed IPv6 on their own networks, and many more have imminent plans to do so – this must be an example followed by all.
This year, for the first time, all five RIR communities took part in a coordinated global IPv6 deployment monitoring survey. Funded by the European Commission and conducted by GNKS Consult and TNO, more than 1,500 organizations from 140 economies responded to the survey. The results revealed that IPv6 awareness continues to grow, and a significant proportion of organizations are already taking steps toward IPv6 deployment.
The survey also revealed some misconceptions about the cost of adopting IPv6.
While those who have not started planning for IPv6 cited cost as a major concern,
organizations that have deployed, or are deploying, IPv6 often find the expense less than anticipated. While it is true that deployment of IPv6 is an investment, organizations must understand that delaying IPv6 because of this may ultimately result in greater costs, with last-minute deployment and planning likely to increase the investment required.
Since the last IGF, the RIRs and their industry partners have been working closely with a wide range of stakeholder groups to educate, promote, and share information relating to IPv6. We have provided vital expertise to intergovernmental organizations including CITEL, the OECD, APEC, CANTO and the International Telecommunication Union. RIRs also host events like government working groups to meet the specific needs of governments in their region.
These efforts truly enhance cooperation in a multistakeholder environment. The knowledge and the resources required for IPv6 deployment are accessible to all stakeholders.
It is imperative at this stage, that your organization be actively pursuing IPv6 deployment.
Thank you for your attention.
Last modified on 02/12/2010