IPv6 is a cornerstone of the Future Internet. Europe has been playing a key role up to now on the worldwide scene, but is more and more challenged by countries such as the USA, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. To ensure both business continuity of the European industry and to get benefits from IPv6 added technologies, the 2008 European Commission (EC) Communication, in its action plan, requested that by 2010, 25% of the users should be able to connect to IPv6.
This ambitious target has not been attained and while IPv4 pool of addresses dried in February 2011 at IANA, the estimated and effective level of IPv6 deployment is still below the 5%.
To be able to adapt to the evolution of the situation, the European Commission is continuing its support to IPv6 deployment through its digital agenda and need to maintain knowledge of the IPv6 deployment level. For that purpose, the EC calls for an enlarged follow-up of the IPv6 monitoring initiative initiated in 2008.
- To get a precise and indisputable knowledge of the IPv6 deployment level, with frequent updates
- To get support from the IPv6 community in its day to day action to foster IPv6 adoption
Based on these considerations, the European Commission has entrusted the consultancy company inno with a study to monitor the progress of IPv6 deployment around the world for the next 2 years. inno will be supported by the University of Luxembourg, the Beijing Internet Institute and an extensive expert group to:
- The set-up of a 2 years IPv6 observatory
- Gathering data from the whole EU27 and main worldwide actors
- Providing analysis of the tendencies, identifying the gaps still to be filled as well as possible threats brought by the IPv6 deployment
- Disseminating and networking, with special relationships built within the expert group with organisations such as the RIRs, ENISA, the ETSI, the IPv6 forum, national Task forces…
- The support of the European Commission