It’s easy to assume that every service provider has already converted IPv4 to IPv6 networks, especially because IPv4 addresses really are running out.
Best not to assume, however. Moving a network from its native IPv4 to IPv6 isn’t simple, even for the most skilled network engineer, and business implications come into play along with the technology issues.
What’s so complicated about the IPv4 to IPv6 transition? For starters, most service providers deploy equipment from multiple vendors in their networks, which makes it time-consuming to convert IPv4 to IPv6 in terms of upgrading code. After the hardware and software issues have been addressed, providers have to build an IPv6 overlay across the network without breaking it. Then there’s testing and troubleshooting. Finally, let’s not forget that providers with IPv6 networks will still need to serve customers with only IPv4 connectivity for years to come.
To find out how service providers are doing with the technology and business issues that affect the IPv4 to IPv6 transition, SearchTelecom talked to Brandon Ross, network architect with the Torrey Point Group, an experienced network engineer who has worked with IPv6 for years. Ross recently spoke to service providers at the 2011 IPv6 Summit about the pros and cons of converting various IPv4 address allocations into IPv6.
SearchTelecom.com: In your view, are service providers ahead of the curve or have they waited too long to convert IPv4 to IPv6?
Ross: I’m very much a capitalist sort of guy, so my answer is that service providers will tend to migrate to v6 at just the right time on average. This means there’s a lot of frustration among technical people that providers haven’t migrated sooner. But that’s not really how business works. It waits until there’s some sort of turning point in the economics before it makes sense to deploy a new service, and v6 is a new service like any other.
Certain service providers are ahead of the curve— and will definitely benefit. Hurricane Electric [an ISP with a specific focus on IPv6] is a great example of that. It really made a name for itself in IPv6, and it will probably be rewarded for it.
Providers that end up waiting to be one of the last to migrate may actually be saving a lot of money on their infrastructure costs because they’re not leading-edge; they don’t need the latest equipment, and they can keep reusing those old routers and old customer aggregation devices and CBE for years to come. So there’s a mixture. I think only the market can really tell whether it’s too early or too late for any particular provider.
SearchTelecom.com: Do you work with many service provider clients on IPv6 issues in your work with the Torrey Point Group?
Ross: Absolutely. Our most common engagement around v6 has been basic v6 deployment on top of an existing v4 network. A lot of our clients have a v6 deployment that they need to do, but often they don’t have the staff or the time to develop the architecture from scratch. We help them by creating it and working them through the process so their staff gets experience.