(Changshan) - 22-12-2009 China Telecom claimed that they have already set the clear timetable for IPv6 deployment. Currently the trail commercialization phase has already been activated, while the larger scale commercial use will be available in 2012. It will be foreseen that by 2015, IPv4 network and business platform will be eliminated. Meanwhile, China Telecom has also clarified 6 breakthroughs of IPv6 business.

The point of China Telecom on IPv6: be prepared, the earlier the better

On Dec. 17, ‘CNGI Project Forum’ was hold by CNGI (China Next Generation Internet) Expert Committee in Tianjin. During the conference, Wu Hequan, who is the Academician and also the Chair of CNGI Working Group, gave high praises on the accomplishments that CNGI has already achieved. Meanwhile, he said that government departments, like MIIT and NDRC, are working on the specific transfer plan for Next Generation Internet. He believes that based on the successful operational foundation of CERNET, the commercialization of IPv6 should be accelerated. In the mean time, IPv6 is also one of the most critical factors for Internet of Things and other key applications, which will decisively accelerate the development of the later equivalence.

Wei Leping, who is the Director of Technical Department from China Telecom, represented China Telecom to deliver a keynote report with the topic of ‘Full-scale Activate the Commercialization Transfer towards Next Generation Internet’. He pointed out that in current transfer process towards the next generation internet, the most important thing is activating commercialization, the earlier the better, therefore the scale of network and terminals (based on the current standard) will be decreased, as well as the cost and difficulties.

The significance and urgency of commercialization transfer: address exhaustion by 2011

IANA will stop to allocate IPv4 address around the end of 2010. APNIC will also stop address allocation by March 2012, even earlier by the end of 2011. Take China Telecom for example, it is estimated that the address shortage will be experienced around 2011, because at that time, regular subscribers amount will reach 86 million, mobile internet subscribers amount will reach 20 million, and IPTV subscriber amount will be 6.3 million. As a result, the shortage of IP address will be nearly 17 million. Like the internet booming which was benefited from the original pure academic and military purpose transferring to civil use, the transfer process towards the next generation internet also needs academic and trail network to be transferred to public commercial network, in order to realize the essential acceleration.

The next generation internet is the scheme raised by industrial stakeholders to resolve the current dilemma of internet, like address bottleneck, QoS and security, etc.. Although IPv6 cannot represent the entire essence of the next generation internet, it has already formulated a complete and mature standard system. Now the dominant views from industry inside on the core element of the next generation internet is referring to IPv6. Therefore, the current working point of the next generation internet is to transfer to IPv6 smoothly and effectively, in the meantime, maximally effort on improving the control, surveillance, expansibility and reliability of the network.

Clarification on the timetable of integrated tactical development: IPv4 will be eliminated by 2015

Wei Leping had claimed the detailed deployment timetable as following: trail commercialization phase (present-2011): launch the network and platform reforming project to support IPv6, set the transfer solution of network and business, trails on current commercial network, create the network foundation to basically introduce IPv6 business. Certain scale commercialization phase (2012-2015): network and business co-existence of IPv4/IPv6, network and platform reform in a certain scale, transfer business pattern gradually, expand new applications and subscribers amount substantially. Complete commercialization phase (after 2015): new applications will be the dominant position, network and business based on IPv4 will be eliminated gradually.

Based on the statements above, China Telecom officially raised some mandatory requirements to those equipment suppliers, including: all new coming network and system equipments must support dual-stack function. All new terminal equipments must have and full-functionally activate IPv6 function. All new software system must sufficiently consider the support on IPv6 during its design, developing, testing and checking process. Vendors will be required to provide necessary IPv6 Certification or equivalent testing report issued by official organizations, etc.. We have reasons to forecast that, those requirements will definitely trigger a fierce competition among equipment suppliers, which is also a marvelous explosion for their long-period R&D accumulation.

In the era of Internet of Things and Cloud Computing, the most important thing that customers care about, besides the seamless transfer of the service, is the new applications based on IP. Chine Telecom proposed 6 strategy highlights for the future business breakthrough, which are: self-operation business transfer firstly. Gateway of Enterprise and Family realizes the IPv6 access support to part of enterprise, government and family users. Transfer of mobile internet should be accelerated because the deployment reform is easy and the user amount is relatively small. IP VPN transfer to government & enterprise client group. Better to adopt IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack model for high-level business, whereas for mass market, pure IPv6 model is preferred. M2M and Internet of Things could adopt IPv6 directly.

Some experts assert that, on the road of IPv6 commercialization, the encouraging action from China Telecom who will firstly realize IPv6 transfer from trail to commercial use in China, even in the world, will activate the China’s commercial era of IPv6. In the mean time, China Unicom is also going to integrate 10 cities’ next generation internet commercial platform. As the upstream stages in the industry chain, the action of those primary carriers will engine the next generation internet industry, and will also push IPv4/IPv6 transfer heavily.