The future of the internet may be largely unwritten, but one thing is inevitable; IPv6 is going to be the essential element in its development. IPv6 is the next stage of internet protocol that allows an address space of 128 bits (compared to the 32 bits used by the existing IPv4), thus extending the limit on addresses from a theoretical 4 billion to an unimaginable 340 billion billion billion billion. One other thing is sure – preparing for IPv6 is now a matter of some urgency as the latest figures show that remaining IPv4 address space is down to its final 13%. In other words, address space is becoming such a scarce resource that under IPv4 it will be exhausted in the next two or three years.

Luxembourg has already started to react, with the official launch on 28 January of the Luxembourg IPv6 Council and the presentation to Minister for Communications Jean-Louis Schiltz of a “Luxembourg IPv& Deployment Roadmap". It met with the minister's approval. "Let's start implementing the roadmap now," he implored at the Future of the Internet conference, organised by ICT For Luxembourg and under the patronage of Vivian Reding, Luxembourg’s European Commissioner responsible for Information Society and Media.

The urgent need for the deployment of IPv6 technology was underlined by many of the speakers at the conference, among them “father” of the internet, Vincent Cerf (who delivered his address by video) and Latif Ladid, president of the IPv6 Forum and Senior Researcher at the University of Luxembourg.

Involving all stakeholders

The Luxembourg IPv6 Council is chaired by Thomas Engel, professor for Computer Networks and Telecommunications at the University of Luxembourg, with Romain Kohn from the Ministry of Communications as its vice-chair. It was established to support a smooth transition to IPv6 by consulting and advising stakeholders. One of its stated aims is to achieve the European Commission’s target – announced by Viviane Reding – of 25% penetration of IPv6 by 2010. That would lay the crucial foundation for the sort of momentum required to, as Latif Ladid put it, “save the internet”. “No IPv4 addresses means simply no new routers can be connected, no new email servers, no new web servers, no mobile devices, and no new users from developed and especially developing countries,” Ladid warns. “All Internet stakeholders are responsible for this situation and they should take their role seriously and face the hard facts and do something about it.”

But IPv6 will not simply replace IPv4 – on the contrary, the experts say that during a transition period of as long as 10 or 20 years IPv4 and IPv6will co-exist. The potential applications of IPv6 are vast – from electronic tagging of objects, the so-called Internet of Things, to designing disaster recovery systems and end-to-end security. 

Many experts agree that Luxembourg, with one of the highest internet penetrations in Europe (71% compared to the European average of 43%) is well-placed to become a leader in IPv6 implementation and development. Tests have already been conducted under the auspices of the u2010 project in partnership with the Enterprises Posts & Telecommunications (EPT) and SES-ASTRA. “The geopolitical dimension is crucial for a country like Luxembourg to stay or remain among the most advanced IT nations in Europe. This calls for a collective strategic effort to design a transition roadmap to call on everyone’s contribution and add value,” says Ladid. “IPv6 readiness is the lowest-cost option, as it would make the networks future-proof.”