The final paper for my master's-level class in data communications and networking, discussing the implementation of IPv6 and why it has moved so slowly.

1. Running Head: IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 1
IPv6: The New Internet Protocol
Teresa J. Rothaar
Wilmington University

2. IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 2
IPv6: The New Internet Protocol
IPv6 has not yet impacted me, and since I’ve been working for myself for the better part
of the last decade, I don’t have an employer for it to impact. Before taking this class, I had not
even heard of IPv6. I discovered there are several sites online that allow users to test their
machines for IPv6 readiness. The results of my test can be seen in Figure 1. Unfortunately, my
machine and ISP are not IPv6 ready. This is not a problem right now, but it will ultimately
become one once IPv6 is widely implemented, as I will not be able to access IPv6-only sites.
Figure 1. Test results from test-ipv6.com.
The Benefits of IPv6
When most people think of IPv6, the first benefit of IPv6 that comes to mind are all the
extra addresses the protocol will free up. Just as the proliferation of mobile devices began
exhausting telephone area codes in the 1990’s, IPv4 addresses are all but exhausted today. In
fact, Ericsson did a study in 2012 predicting that, by 2017, the number of mobile devices would
be greater than the world’s population (Tsukayama, 2012).

3. IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 3
Certainly, IP address exhaustion was the primary driving force behind IPv6, but other
benefits of the new protocol include more efficient routing because of reduced routing table size;
more efficient packet processing thanks to a simplified packet header; directed data flows
(multicast rather than broadcast); simplified network configuration due to address auto
configuration; support for new services due to the elimination of Network Address Translation;
and better security due to IPSec, a confidentiality, authentication and data integrity protocol suite
which is hardwired into IPv6 (Network Computing, 2011).
Why has IPv6 Implementation Been so Slow?
Despite “World IPv6 Launch” having taken place in 2012 (Tsukayama), IPv6
implementation has moved at a snail’s pace; most ISP’s are not yet equipped to provide IPv6
service to residential customers (Test IPv6). The main reason IPv6 hasn’t been widely
implemented is the same reason credit card “chip” technology hasn’t: money. When IPv6 was
designed, it was decided to not make IPv6 technology backward-compatible with IPv4,
ostensibly because of the new features included with IPv6. However, this means that, in order to
upgrade to IPv6, organizations must upgrade their entire hardware infrastructure. Capital
investments are something that organizations are always loath to take on unless the need is
immediate and the returns are clear; right now, neither of these scenarios is true when it comes to
IPv6. IPv4 is working just fine for most organizations right now, especially since workarounds,
like NAT, which allows multiple devices to use the same IP address, are available (Caldwell,
2014). Since all devices in my home have the same IP address, it appears that my own ISP,
Verizon FiOS, uses NAT.
Worse yet, no one really knows how much IPv6 implementation will actually cost. In
2003, NIST estimated the cost to be $25 billion over 25 years (Conrad, 2011). However, another

4. IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 4
report, released in 2005 by the IPv6 Summit and Juniper Networks, estimated $75 billion for the
U.S. federal government alone (Kerner, 2011), and an FAQ from the Internet Society (n.d.)
provides only a vague answer: “Since network needs and businesses differ, IPv6 transition
strategies and related costs will … vary between organisations.” The best estimate (although still
vague) seems to have come from Robert Beckstrom, former CEO of ICANN, who in 2011 told
Enterprise Networking Planet, “We're talking about billions of dollars here globally, [but] we're
not talking trillions of dollars.”
Conclusion
Despite the daunting task of upgrading billions of dollars worth of equipment, IPv6
implementation plods along. The year 2014 saw major growth in IPv6 implementation among
major mobile and broadband ISP’s: Verizon Wireless’ deployment surged by 64%, T-Mobile by
49%, and Comcast by 38% (Coffeen, 2015). See Appendix A for charts, courtesy of Infoblox.
IPv6 is not going away. It is estimated that Google’s worldwide IPv6 traffic will reach
50% by the end of 2017 (Coffeen). The time is fast approaching when organizations will no
longer be able to ignore IPv6 and/or depend on Band-Aid solutions such as NAT. Any
organization that does not have an IPv6 implementation plan needs to put one together right now.

5. IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 5
References
Caldwell, G. (2014, August 13). Why Is the Transition To IPv6 Taking So Long? TeamARIN.
Retrieved from http://teamarin.net/2014/08/13/transition-ipv6-taking-long/
Coffeen, T. (2015, February 1). IT Managers: Get Ready to Explain Your IPv6 Strategy in 2015.
Infoblox. Retrieved from https://community.infoblox.com/blogs/2015/02/01/it-managers-
get-ready-explain-your-ipv6-strategy-2015
Conrad, D. (2011, November 6). Time To Embrace IPv6, Not To Run From It. Forbes. Retrieved
from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/11/06/time-to-embrace-ipv6-not-to-
run-from-it/
Internet Society. (n.d.). IPv6 Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from
http://www.internetsociety.org/ipv6-frequently-asked-questions
Kerner, S.M. (2011, February 4). The IPv6 Transition: How Much Will It Cost? Enterprise
Networking Planet. Retrieved from
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/news/article.php/11849_3923656_2/The-
IPv6-Transition-How-Much-Will-It-Cost.htm
Network Computing. (2011, June 8). Six Benefits of IPv6. Retrieved from
http://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/six-benefits-of-ipv6/d/d-id/1232791?
Test IPv6 (n.d.). Test Your IPv6 Connectivity. Retrieved from http://test-ipv6.com/
Tsukayama, H. (2012, June 6). What is IPv6, and why does it matter? The Washington Post.
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/what-is-ipv6-and-
why-does-it-matter/2012/06/06/gJQAbClTIV_story.html

6. IPV6: THE NEW INTERNET PROTOCOL 6
Appendix A
IPv6 Deployment Charts for Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Comcast in 2014
Courtesy of Infoblox

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