The switch to IPv6 could be a goldmine for infrastructure vendors, if BT research into global enterprises deployment plans proves accurate.
A majority of 55% of companies quizzed believe IPv6 must be deployed throughout their entire network, potentially creating demand for entire network upgrades rather than one-off component changes. The BT study also indicates demand is likely to accelerate in the next two years, with only 13% of companies currently IPv6 ready and 44% stating they will upgrade over that timeframe.
Tim Rooney, BT Diamond IP product management director, BT Global Services, says the figures show a “dramatic progression in the adoption of the new standard,” compared to previous studies. BT has tracked development for seven years, and notes the current compliance is up from 5% preparedness in the 2011 review. However, BT also acknowledges that companies have been spurred into acting on IPv6 by the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses. It cites that reason along with mounting web usage as driving factors for businesses quizzed.
European telcos were initially slow to react to the official switch to IPv6, which the Internet Society launched yesterday following nearly 15 years of development. Telefonica, France Telecom, Swisscom and Telekom Austria all detailed plans to utilize the new standard, however rivals including Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia remained tight lipped.
On a global level, North America is estimated to be lagging the rest of the world in terms of readiness for the new web standard. Synergy Research Group claims 12% of enterprise servers in the region are currently IPv6 ready, compared to 28% in Western Europe. The firm predicts an average of 59% of global routers will be compliant by end 2016, compared to nearly 20% currently.