UAE leads transition to new Internet protocol
Abu Dhabi, March 23, 2013
The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said it aims to devise a national policy, strategy and implementation plan for its IPv6 project, a TRA initiative to prepare the emirates and its internet stakeholders for the looming IPv4 depletion and ensure business continuity.
The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is a reflection of the Internet expanding its address directory, said the TRA in a statement.
The IPv4 allows for only approximately 4.3 billion addresses, meaning that there is a unique address for 4.3 billion devices to connect to the Web.
But with the launch of IPv6, the number of IP addresses pool will increase to 340 trillion, it added.
It will be followed by an implementation phase to secure the healthy levels of growth in the UAE’s ICT sector and preserving its role in economic and social development.
The TRA held its second IPv6 workshop last week for the government and private entities to explain the importance of their roles throughout the UAE IPv6 project.
The aim was to prepare government departments and a range of private bodies for the inevitable transition to IPv6 and to highlight the need to incorporate the new Internet Protocol (IP) into their networks, applications and services, said the TRA in its statement.
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) declared in early 2011 the issuing of its last remaining blocks of IPv4 address. Consequently, the TRA has championed the IPv6 transition project as a necessary response for the current depletion problem.
"This workshop comes as part of the wider TRA initiative to ensure that the UAE is adequately placed to take advantage of new technology as soon as it’s developed," remarked Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, the TRA director general.
“The transition to IPv6 protocol has implications for both the public and private sector. Engaging both sectors and specifically internet stakeholder in the earlier stages of the project will surely be of great use to individual entities in specific and the UAE in general.” he added.-TradeArabia News Service
