New Zealand IPv6 Task Force gears up for World IPv6 Day

New Zealand IPv6 Task Force gears up for World IPv6 Day

Media Release - 7 June 2011 (sent on behalf of the New Zealand IPv6 Task Force) http://tinyurl.com/3kcufak

The New Zealand IPv6 Task Force is pleased to announce its support for World IPv6 Day, a global event sponsored and organised by the international Internet Society (ISOC) and several large content providers to test public IPv6 deployment.

World IPv6 Day runs over 24 hours, from 00:00 to 23:59 UTC (from 12 noon New Zealand time) on 8 June 2011.

Task Force Technical Convenor Dean Pemberton says mass adoption of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is critical to the future of the Internet. He describes World IPv6 Day as a watershed moment, one that all New Zealand organisations should be aware of.

“The Internet has grown so quickly that the pool of IPv4 addresses used by most computers and devices has run out. IPv6 allows for trillions more IP addresses; more than enough to fuel the next stage of the Internet's growth.

“World IPv6 Day aims to motivate all organisations to prepare their services for IPv6. On the Day a swath of major providers including Google, Facebook and Yahoo will be among many global firms offering their content over IPv6,” he says.

The New Zealand IPv6 Task Force is right behind World IPv6 Day. It has registered with ISOC as a participating organisation and strongly encourages all New Zealand content providers and ISPs to take part.

On World IPv6 Day, Pemberton will be speaking at a video seminar entitled 'IPv6 through the crystal ball. What a future with IPv6 might look like'. The seminar is being held on the afternoon of 8 June NZT. For more information visit http://tinyurl.com/3ed5cfg .

The Task Force is also repeating its survey of IPv6 readiness in New Zealand, with preliminary results to be published on the Task Force's website on World IPv6 Day.

Task Force member TelstraClear will be making its main websites accessible via IPv6 on World IPv6 Day. It will also be assisting with enabling IPv6 on the Flybuys website.

ICT services firm Gen-i (on behalf of Task Force member Telecom) has launched a target dual-stack test webpage for World IPv6 Day, along with a link to an information page - www.ipv6test.co.nz.

Can you reach IPv6-only websites? Check your connectivity using the 'IPv6 Check' widget on the Task Force’s website (www.ipv6.org.nz)

Let us know what your plans are for World IPv6 Day and we will publish these online. Already offering IPv6 products or services? Let us know and we will include you on our Service Directory.

In recent months sponsorship of the New Zealand IPv6 Task Force has expanded to include support from InternetNZ, FX Networks, Microsoft and InspireNet.

InternetNZ Chief Executive Vikram Kumar says widespread diffusion of IPv6 is a certainty and World IPv6 Day will assist with people’s experience and confidence in the new protocol.

Internet backbone provider FX Networks has long been a champion of IPv6. General Manager Jamie Baddeley says “World IPv6 Day will help raise general awareness of the importance of IPv6 adoption. FX has been ready for this Day for over two years, having fully supported IPv6 since 2009”.

Palmerston North-based ISP InspireNet, who hosts the Task Force’s website, says “ We believe that IPv4 exhaustion and the transition to IPv6 is a key change, and it features heavily in our network road-map”.

Microsoft New Zealand is also pleased to be participating in World IPv6 Day, and will be doing so by enabling both Bing and XBOX services to work over IPv6 on 8 June. “As a company we have been working towards a smooth and prudent transition, and teams across the company have been readying our products and services to support IPv6,” says CTO Mark Rees.

More information about World IPv6 Day is available at: http://isoc.org/wp/worldipv6day www.ipv6.org.nz/world-ipv6-day

ENDS

© Scoop Media