Expert: Service providers need to be ready for World IPv6 Day
Service providers that are unprepared for World IPv6 Day could be facing a major customer service problem.
By Max BurkhalterMay 18, 2011
World IPv6 Day will be held on June 8 and many businesses, consumers and service providers are working to deploy IPv6-ready systems to test during the one-day trial. However, service providers that are not ready for the event could become the target for ire from disappointed users that could not access the internet using their IPv6 hardware.
In a recent Light Reading report, Martin Levy, director of IPv6 strategy at Hurricane Electric, said service providers that are not running IPv6 systems on World IPv6 Day are vulnerable. He said consumers and business users that try to access the internet through IPv6 networks will be unable to do so if service providers are not ready for the trial event. Therefore, service providers could take a serious customer service hit if they are not ready to support IPv6 testing during World IPv6 Day.
According to Levy, IPv6 migration is happening at a reasonable pace and most service providers are well on their way to completing the process. However, those that have not prioritized the transition need to move quickly to do so before they are left behind by the competition. He told the news source IPv6 use is rising, and service providers, businesses and consumers should embrace the standard before it is too late.
The report said most industry experts anticipate an average failure rate between 0.12 and 0.5 for users attempting to access IPv6 sites during World IPv6 Day. This is a relatively small percentage, but the report said it is large enough to have an impact on businesses depending on millions of page views for sales and advertising promotions.
While this failure may be expected, Levy told the news source businesses and consumers will likely blame their service providers when they cannot access websites. The best way to resolve this issue, Levy said, is to enable IPv6. Levy said approximately 50 percent of service providers are currently enabling IPv6, and most of those ISPs are well-connected with smaller service providers that share some infrastructure.
The migration to IPv6 could offer a critical period for expansion for network infrastructure companies around the world, Forbes reports. According to the report, almost every piece of network hardware will need to be updated, upgraded or replaced within the next few years to support IPv6, which will eventually replace IPv4 in entirety. As a result, network infrastructure companies could experience significant growth by making the transition possible.
In a recent Light Reading report, Martin Levy, director of IPv6 strategy at Hurricane Electric, said service providers that are not running IPv6 systems on World IPv6 Day are vulnerable. He said consumers and business users that try to access the internet through IPv6 networks will be unable to do so if service providers are not ready for the trial event. Therefore, service providers could take a serious customer service hit if they are not ready to support IPv6 testing during World IPv6 Day.
According to Levy, IPv6 migration is happening at a reasonable pace and most service providers are well on their way to completing the process. However, those that have not prioritized the transition need to move quickly to do so before they are left behind by the competition. He told the news source IPv6 use is rising, and service providers, businesses and consumers should embrace the standard before it is too late.
The report said most industry experts anticipate an average failure rate between 0.12 and 0.5 for users attempting to access IPv6 sites during World IPv6 Day. This is a relatively small percentage, but the report said it is large enough to have an impact on businesses depending on millions of page views for sales and advertising promotions.
While this failure may be expected, Levy told the news source businesses and consumers will likely blame their service providers when they cannot access websites. The best way to resolve this issue, Levy said, is to enable IPv6. Levy said approximately 50 percent of service providers are currently enabling IPv6, and most of those ISPs are well-connected with smaller service providers that share some infrastructure.
The migration to IPv6 could offer a critical period for expansion for network infrastructure companies around the world, Forbes reports. According to the report, almost every piece of network hardware will need to be updated, upgraded or replaced within the next few years to support IPv6, which will eventually replace IPv4 in entirety. As a result, network infrastructure companies could experience significant growth by making the transition possible.
