Afghan Wireless is proud to be the only completely IPv6 wireless network in Afghanistan. Read on for more information about what IPv6 is and why it’s important.
What is IPv6?
IPv6 stands for “Internet Protocol, version 6”. The Internet Protocol is the identification system that routes traffic across the Internet and allows devices to communicate with each other. IPv6 is the newest version of the Internet Protocol that was developed to supplement and, eventually, replace IPv4, which is the version that underpins the majority of the Internet today.
What is an IP address?
You can think of an IP address, which is short for “Internet Protocol address,” as a kind of phone number for Internet use. Just as you need a phone number to communicate with another phone, your computer needs an IP address in order to communicate with Internet services, websites, and with other devices. Every device on the Internet, from computers to mobile phones, is assigned a distinct IP address to help identify the device and establish its location. IP addresses are displayed as a string of letters or numbers, so a sample IPv4 address looks like this: 192.0.2.1, while a sample IPv6 address looks like this: 2001:db8::1234:ace:6006:1e.
Why do we need IPv6 if we already have IPv4?
Since it was developed in the very early days of the Internet, IPv4 has a limited number of IP addresses available. The IP addresses assigned under IPv4 are only four numbers long. Even though each one of those numbers can range from 0 to 255, that still only allows for about 4 billion IP addresses. Given the already huge and rapidly increasing number of smart devices in use today, that’s not enough address space for all current and future Internet users. IPv6 was designed specifically to fix the address limitations of IPv4. Thanks to its new IP address format, which is comprised of eight groups of letters and numbers, IPv6 has a virtually limitless number of available IP addresses (the theoretical maximum is 340 trillion, trillion, trillion addresses).
Is IPv6 new?
While it was only relatively recently that IPv6 was widely deployed, it has already been around for close to 20 years. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an international organization dedicated to developing and promoting technical standards that help the Internet to work more effectively, first published the basic protocol for IPv6 in 1998. Over the years, a number of enhancements have been added to the protocol, including IPv6 specifications for mobile devices in 2004.
What are the differences between IPv4 and IPv6?
The biggest and most important difference between IPv4 and IPv6 is the amount of available address space, which will enable the trillions of new Internet addresses that will be needed in the future to support connectivity across a wide range of devices, including phones, vehicles, and household appliances. Beyond the increased space, however, there are a few other advantages that IPv6 can offer given that it is a more recent protocol than IPv4. IPv6 boasts several design improvements, especially regarding autoconfiguration, mobility, and extensibility, and it also offers an enhanced quality of service that is necessary for a number of new applications, including IP telephony, e-commerce, video and audio, and interactive games.
Will IPv4 keep working in the future, or does everyone need to switch to IPv6?
It is unlikely that IPv4 services will ever be turned off. IPv4 and IPv6 are expected to run in parallel until IPv4 is no longer needed. However, in order to ensure continued growth and accessibility of services to the rest of the Internet, all websites and Internet service providers are encouraged to upgrade their networks to IPv6. While IPv4 will keep working, as IPv6 grows into the dominant system it will likely become more challenging and costly to maintain legacy IPv4-only systems and applications. And, as the expansion of the global Internet continues, it is highly likely that some Internet sites will only be available through IPv6.
Is there an official date to switch to IPv6?
There is no official date when IPv4 systems must switch to IPv6. The transition will take as long as it needs to until every website and Internet service provider has made the switch. However, on June 6, 2012, the Internet Society organized an event called “World IPv6 Launch,” a day designed to motivate change and act as a focal point to help bring Internet service providers, web companies, and equipment vendors together with the goal of permanently deploying IPv6 on the global Internet.
Do users need to do anything to prepare for the transition from IPv4 to IPv6?
Individual users do not need any kind of preparation for IPv6. Applications and devices will work as they did before.
Do I already have IPv6?
If you are an Afghan Wireless subscriber, you are already using IPv6. If you are with another wireless company, you can visit ipv6test.google.com to test whether IPv6 is enabled on your network.