Current Scenario of IPv6 Service Providers - An Overview

Abstract

The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is superior to its predecessor because it offers a 128 bit addressing scheme that can overthrow the address limitations encountered by IPv4. Apart from this, it offers many improved services that include routing efficiency, automatic configuration, Quality-of-Service (QoS), certainty and flexibility. However, the implementation of IPv6 has been rather slow. A lot of factors contribute to the steady action of making IPv6 functional. The objective of this survey paper is to provide an understanding of the current IPv6 deployment by service providers, the migration techniques used and the rate of deployment achieved. Furthermore, to list down the challenges and hurdles in the deployment and enumerate the initiatives carried out by both private and public organizations in order to achieve a network infrastructure that is predominantly an IPv6 network.