Tags: Broadband in India

TRAI issues draft recommendations on switching to IPv6

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its draft recommendations on ‘Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 in India’. They are inviting comments of stakeholders before finalizing these for forwarding to the Government. The aim of switching to IPv6 is to expand the available IP address space largely to enable more people to be able to connect to the internet.

In addition, switching to this newer upgraded protocol would also result in better quality of service, mobility support, and security. The move is necessitated as we see more people getting online in this country with more extensive availability of broadband connectivity. The organization had already issued a consultation paper on these issues during August’05.

Some of the major recommendations of the TRAI are as under:

(i) Definition of IP address mentioned in ISP license to be amended to enable 128 bits to be used as needed for IPv6 based addressing, in place of 32 bits at present.
(ii) The usage of IPv6 in the platforms/applications pertaining to e-governance to be mandated, so that head start is taken for IPv6 deployments. The Govt. should also mandate IPv6 compatibility in its own procurement of IT systems and networks.
(iii) Workshops and seminars to bring awareness about IPv6 and its benefits for service providers and end-users community should be conducted through Govt. agencies.
(iv) Establishment of National Internet Registry (NIR) in the country, within the framework of APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry, utilizing the existing setup of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).
(v) Enlargement of the existing IPv6 test bed of ERNET to make it countrywide and accessible to all interested parties.
(vi) Upgradation of NIXI as a national test bed for IPv6 & interconnection among its various nodes to provide access to all ISPs.
(vii) Encouragement to TEC, CDOT, and CDAC to set up the IPv6 test beds through Govt.’s funding.