The Silent Revolution of IPv6 in Brazil: 50% Adoption Milestone Achieved
Antonio M. Moreiras
Projects and development manager @ NIC.br | Driving Internet development in Brazil.
In the Brazilian Internet landscape, we have recently reached a significant milestone: over half of the users now utilize the IPv6 protocol! This information is provided by Google and can be verified at:
Google conducts this type of measurement and continuously publishes the results based on the usage of its applications. This means that the company observes over half of Brazilian users utilizing the IPv6 protocol when accessing the search engine and other services. Any website administrator can gather similar statistics by analyzing web server logs, for instance. For the Internet user, everything is transparent; for example, when accessing a site like https://google.com/, the device encounters both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address but defaults to IPv6! In other words, information exchange occurs via IPv6 automatically if it's available.
This achievement, of having over half of Brazil's users already on IPv6, is not just another number in the global adoption statistics of the technology but also a testimony to the continuous and collaborative effort among Internet service providers, technical organizations, and the community at large.
IPv6, the successor to IPv4, emerged from the necessity to expand addressing space on the Internet. With the depletion of free addresses in IPv4, which is already causing various negative effects, IPv6 represents a robust and necessary solution, offering an almost limitless number of addresses for the continuous expansion of the global network. In Brazil, the transition to IPv6, although slower than its proponents would prefer, has been a journey with significant, often silent, advancements, thanks to the dedication of various entities, including NIC.br, which has been a pillar in this process.
In recent years, NIC.br has played a crucial role in promoting and facilitating IPv6 adoption in Brazil, working closely with various institutions to ensure the modernization and sustainable growth of Internet infrastructure in the country. From becoming the official distributor of IPv6 blocks to launching educational courses and events, NIC.br has led a series of initiatives to encourage the transition to the new Internet protocol.
In October 2006, NIC.br announced a partnership with LACNIC to become the official distributor of IPv6 blocks in Brazil, allowing greater autonomy in providing IP addresses and ASNs to Brazilians [1]. Soon after, in October 2008, it launched a website dedicated to the protocol, https://ipv6.br/, which remains to this day the primary reference in Portuguese on the subject [2]. These initiatives were followed by actions that further concretely influenced the adoption of the new technology, such as the initiation of IPv6 traffic exchange at IX.br in S?o Paulo in 2009, when accessing services like Google via PTT became possible through the protocol [3].
We can also recall other actions by NIC.br, such as the launch of an IPv6 validator in 2011 and participation in the global IPv6 test, the World IPv6 Day [4]. We heavily promoted the protocol by creating IPv6 Week, during which relevant Brazilian sites began functioning with the new protocol as a test, which coincided with the Campus Party in 2012, a technology event that also provided IPv6 on its network for participants [5]. We also held a series of meetings with experts from various sectors, culminating in the disclosure of deadlines for the provision of IPv6 connectivity by Brazilian operators [6] and subsequently with the creation of a working group led by Anatel, which formalized a commitment to adopting the technology with major telecommunications operators.
Since then, NIC.br has continued to promote awareness and education about IPv6, offering events like "IPv6 Breakfast" [7] and courses, such as the IPv6 Distance Learning course, created in 2013 [8]. This commitment to education has also extended beyond national borders, with NIC.br taking its IPv6 course to Mozambique, Africa, in an unprecedented initiative [9]. More recently, in 2020, we offered the Basic IPv6 Distance Learning Course for free, in a self-instructional format, responding to the urgent need for IPv6 adoption in the face of IPv4 address exhaustion [10].
These are just a few of NIC.br's many initiatives aimed at encouraging and facilitating IPv6 adoption in Brazil. Over the years, as the examples demonstrate, NIC.br has played a crucial role in promoting IPv6 in Brazil to ensure the sustainable growth of the Internet in the country.
Looking at NIC.br actions, we can affirm that professional training has been a crucial component, deserving attention, with over 6200 students participating in face-to-face IPv6 courses, 4000 in Operational Best Practices (BCP or BCOP) courses that also address IPv6, and 3800 students in the basic Distance Learning course, totaling around 14,000 professionals trained from 2008 to 2023. All this professional training is conducted with free courses, significantly reducing barriers to IPv6 deployment for providers and other organizations.
In addition to training, it is important to emphasize that CGI.br, in 2012 and 2013, published resolutions recommending IPv6 adoption and establishing clear goals for this transition [11] [12]. These formal recommendations from the Steering Committee, in its role of defining guidelines for Internet development in the country, within a multistakeholder governance perspective, underscore the need for technology implementation to modernize Internet infrastructure in Brazil and also the importance of aligning the country with global practices.
Another relevant fact is that 97.6% of Brazilian networks already have IPv6 addresses allocated by Registro.br [13]. This number, shared by Ricardo Patara, numbering resources manager at Registro.br, similar to the Google measurement result that prompted this article, also highlights the country's significant progress in IPv6 adoption.
For users interested in checking the availability of IPv6 in their networks or on specific sites, NIC.br currently offers the website https://top.nic.br/. This tool not only tests IPv6 availability but also evaluates adherence to other standards and technologies important for network health and efficiency.
It is important to emphasize that IPv6 is a one-way street. The Internet is migrating to IPv6. IPv6 is already considered the standard, current protocol of the Internet. The operation of the Internet with the legacy protocol, IPv4, depends on a series of workarounds, such as NAT usage in residences and companies and CGNAT in provider networks. These workarounds make the Internet more prone to failures, more expensive, and slower. The migration to IPv6 is necessary, and it is important for companies and organizations of all kinds, with websites, applications, and services available on the Internet, to do their part! It is also important for users to be aware when contracting Internet access and purchasing devices that use it, such as smart TVs, Wi-Fi routers, security cameras, etc.
Over the years, NIC.br has launched several initiatives and resources to facilitate the transition to IPv6 on the Internet. From the official distribution of blocks in Brazil to the promotion of training, each action has contributed to strengthening Internet infrastructure in the country and raising awareness of the importance of IPv6. This 50% adoption milestone of IPv6 in Brazil is more than just a number; it is a celebration of progress, innovation, and collaboration. The Brazilian technical community, particularly Internet service providers, deserve a huge and resounding congratulations for their fundamental role in this achievement. As the country continues its journey towards full IPv6 adoption, it is crucial for companies, organizations, and end users to recognize the importance of this transition and their role in it, contributing to the future of the Internet. As we celebrate this milestone, we also look to the future, anticipating the next steps in this ongoing journey towards a more accessible, secure, and prepared Internet for tomorrow's demands. There is much work ahead!
领英推荐
Antonio Marcos Moreiras
29/fev/2024
Coordenador de SOC Pleno
1 年Fruto do grande trabalho de vocês do NIC.BR fomentando e incentivando ado??o através de cursos e um livro excepcional.
Well done Antonio and all the friends of nic.br! Now that it's the dominant protocol, the next step is sunsetting v4! ?? ??
instrutor | CQTE CIAA
1 年Um grande artigo Antonio M. Moreiras! Já vou compartilhar!
Network Engineer at Google
1 年Robert Kryczalo ;)
Falk von Bornstaedt