India Will Promote Switch to IPv6 Protocol

India has sought a change in the way the new IPv6 Internet address resources should be shared. The country suggested a countrywide allocation in the Asia-Pacific region instead of parceling them out to firms as it is being done currently. 

A new protocol is currently expected to drive the Internet address system following the global exhaustion of the old IPv4-based addresses. The protocols in question form the technical basis for the transmission of information between different points through the Internet. The number of Internet addresses possible under the present system amounted to around 4 billion. At the same time, the new regime would allow for almost countless addresses – 2 to the 128th power.

The suggested change is considered by Indian authorities necessary to ensure a more efficient and equitable way of sharing IPv6 resources if compared to the manner in which the IPv4 addresses were shared throughout the globe. They weren’t apportioned on a country-specific basis, but rather to the intermediaries like ISPs and various members making up the regional address-allocating body known as the regional Internet registry.

As for India, in its part of the world it’s the Asia Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) that is responsible for apportioning the addresses. The old policy of this outfit didn’t provide for reservation of these resources for the organizations different from the ISPs. However, the Indian proposal doesn’t want to abandon the system of companies getting their IPv6 addresses directly from the APNIC, but rather wants to make it in a country-specific manner.

During the APNIC meeting in South Korea in August, India suggested that the system be followed for all countries in Asia, with the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre assessing the requirements.

Thus far the suggestion saw a mixed response, which has been referred back to the APNIC community for discussions, while some of its members felt it was too early to talk about the IPv6 regime. They argue it’s against freedom, since such policy could make it easier for the government from the country and outside to ban the traffic flow.

India has been considering to set up a National Internet Registry that would manage Internet number resources. When this registry becomes operational, the IPv6 resource management can also be done at the national level.