Internet Powers Flip the IPv6 Switch

Cnet: This Wednesday, June 6, marks a big day in the life of the Internet as many of the world’s largest technology companies will permanently enable Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) as part of the World IPv6 Launch. Many companies, like Facebook, Cisco, Comcast, Yahoo and others, tested IPv6 networks last year, and now are ready to use the new protocol. “IPv6 is being enabled and kept on by more than 1,500 Web sites and ISPs in 22 countries,” said Arbor Networks.

The new protocol was necessary because the world was running out of Internet addresses under the old IPv4 system. While few devices are using IPv6 technology today, Yahoo predicts that 10 to 15 percent of its traffic will be on IPv6 networks within a year. Cisco predicts “there will be 8 billion IPv6-capable fixed and mobile devices in 2016.”