In India, as common citizens, we often bother to talk about the Internet Protocol being widely used in our country. It seems that most of us are still unaware of the advantages and uses of the IPv6 protocol. However, the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) announced three new initiatives to raise awareness of the IPv6 protocol in India.
For those unaware, IPv6 is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol communications system and provides identification and location information for devices and networks connecting to the Internet.
Whilst the implementation of the latest 5G network is still underway in India, it’s worth knowing that the protocol is especially important with the impending move to 5G, which will massively increase the total number of devices connecting to the Internet.
The NIXI’s new initiatives state to include an expert panel (IP Guru) that will “extend support” to Indian organizations looking to move to IPv6 systems. The panel will also help identify and hire agencies that provide the technical support required for these transitions.
According to sources, the panel will consist of members from the Department of Telecom (DoT), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the industry.
Secondly, the NIXI will be creating an education platform for IPv6, called NIXI Academy. It will include an IPv6 training portal to provide mass training about the technology. Beginner training will be available for free, but advanced courses may be offered in the future, which will be chargeable.
NISI IP-Index has also been introduced, which will showcase the adoption rate for IPv6 in India and compare it against other economies in the world. India is already number one in IPv6 adoption worldwide, according to a September 2020 report, and it will keep track of the country’s current progress against other economies.
The problem with the old and most widely used IPv4 protocol is that it is based on a 32-bit system and could only accommodate 4.3 billion devices, which isn’t enough for the increasing number of devices connected to the Internet today. The latest IPv6 is more secure, efficient, and mobile-friendly, making it the right system to use for the 5G future.
