The document discusses the need for national IPv6 strategies and migration plans given the limited IPv4 address space and growing number of internet-connected devices. It notes that while the IPv4 pool is fully allocated, IPv6 solves the address scarcity problem by providing a vastly larger number of addresses. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Qatar has undertaken an initiative to study Qatar's IPv6 readiness, develop an IPv6 national migration plan and strategy, and help stakeholders transition to IPv6 to support continued internet growth and avoid potential costs of maintaining outdated IPv4 infrastructure. The proposed strategy provides guidelines for internet service providers, network providers, telecom operators, and end users to ensure a coordinated national approach to IPv6 adoption over 3-5 years.

1. Towards The Connected Society
Adopting National IPv6 Strategies and Migration Plans
Mohamed El Bashir
Technical Affairs Dpt. Manager
Communications Regulatory Authority “CRA”- State of Qatar

2. The Future is
“Things in the Internet”,
billons of connected
devices
Highly Integrated
Network
Always On
World

3. Growth of the Connected Devices/Machines

4. What is the problem ?
 7 billion cannot go into 4 billion
7 billion people and billions of devices online (e.g IoT, M2M)
 3 Billion Internet users by November 2014

5. IPv6 offers a solution
5
▪ Given that 7 billion can not go into 4 billion…
–IPv6 solves this address scarcity problem by using 128-bit addressing creating a
massively larger number of addresses (the actual number is typically described as 2
to the 128th power - or '340 trillion trillion trillion’
340,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
–Approximately 5×1028 addresses for each of the roughly 7.2 billion people alive today
–4.5x1015 addresses for every observable star in the known universe or an IP address
for every grain of sand on earth!

6. Current IPv4 status ?
 The IPv4 pool is now fully allocated – at least at the top level
 An IPv4 secondary market has emerged
 prices are not negotiable – average 5-10 USD (ISPs/operators
started buying )
 The Inter-RIR Transfer Policy is finalized
 The good news is that almost all new CPEs are dual stack (IPv4/IPv6)

7. Why IPv6 Planning is important
▪ Huge mobile Internet growth
▪ Broadband and Fibre rollout
▪ Growth of Internet of Things “IoT” and Machine to Machine “M2M”
▪ Multistakeholder Model :
o The Government ( e.g eGovernment, Gov.Networks, Systems, …etc )
o Critical Sectors ( e.gOil and Gas )
o Telecom Operators and ISPs
o Universities and Academic Institutions ( e.g Research Networks )

9. Why has CRA undertaken this initiative?
 Recognise the criticality of the Internet for the socio-economic development of the state of Qatar
 Qatar has recently been globally ranked at 23 in the ‘most networked’ countries
IPv6 will be a key factor in maintaining/building on this ranking
 Important of Data networks in a modern society, including commerce, health, security, education etc.
 A key task was to gather information on the current state of ‘IPv6 readiness’ across the various
stakeholders involved with the IPv6 ecosystem

10. IPv6 Status Study
 Assess Qatar’s IPv6 readiness among different stakeholders
 Develop an IPv6 National Migration Implementation Plan and a Strategy
 Move forward with IPv6 integration as part of enterprise architecture planning and the
deployment of IPv6-enabled backbone networks
 Start planning for the integration of applications and users in a dual-stacked (IPv4/IPv6)
environment

11. Opportunity costs will Increase Over Time
▪ Extra costs and risks due to managing, securing, and extending an outdated IPv4 infrastructure
▪ Inability to integrate new applications and services requiring IPv6 features
▪ Loss of markets and customers due to outdated services ( e.g rollout of new telecom operations )
▪ Inability to introduce new services – which require a high number of IP addresses
( e.g sensor-based applications )
▪ Limited global connectivity as IPv4 address space is exhausted, and Internet
growth moves over to IPv6

12. Early planning will help minimize IPv6 adoption costs
IPv6 adoption - Areas Planned Adoption cycle
3-4 years
Acceleration by 1 year
IPv6 in ~ 2 Years
Acceleration by 3 years
IPv6 in ~ 1 Year
Project Management Low Low High
H/W & S/W Product Procurement Low Medium High
Proprietary software – IPv6 adoption Low Medium High
Security products procurement Low High High
Network testing Low Medium High
Staff costs - Deployment and rollout Low Medium High
Staff costs - Maintaining network
Performance
Low Medium High
Training (sales, marketing,
and technical staff)
Medium Medium High
Cost implications Base line minimal costs 25% increase in the
deployment costs
280% increase in the
deployment costs

13. Ignoring IPv6 could have a serious impact on business
▪ The implementation of IPv6 should be carefully planned to minimise investment requirements and
ensure IPv6 services are available in a timely manner for the organisation
▪ The operational and financial consequences of poor implementation planning are as follows
– investment in non-IPv6-ready hardware could result in stranded assets that are written off
prematurely
– similarly, for operating systems and applications, IPv6 operability should be incorporated when
upgrade or replacement takes place
▪ The resultant impact on revenues/profitability can be summarised as follows
– unable to engage in e-business with organisations operating an IPv6-only infrastructure
– loss of opportunity to launch IPv6-based services, e.g. hosting

14. Qatar National IPv6 Strategy & Migration Plan
 National migration approach to IPv6, multi-stakeholder driven
 3-5 Years Migration Plan
 The strategy provide national implementation guidelines for each of the main
stakeholder groups to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach
o IPv6 Adoption Guide : Internet Service Providers
o IPv6 Adoption Guide : System Vendors
o IPv6 Adoption Guide : Network Providers
o IPv6 Adoption Guide : Telecom Operators
o IPv6 Adoption Guide : End Users
 There are four basic stages, including Auditing, planning, implementation
and launch
 IPv6 Adoption Governance and Transition Management
 Procurement Plan and Budget Planning
 IPv6 Training
Find it here : www.ictqatar.gov.qa ( search IPv6 )

15. IPv6 Implementation Plan
 Multi-stakeholder Driven, Collaborative Approach
 Details on the development of guidelines and plans
 IPv6 Transformation Mechanisms
 IPv6 Monitoring and Testing
 Proposed Pilot Projects in Qatar

16. IPv6 Implementation Roadmap
▪ Proposed Implementation Roadmap for each stakeholder group

17. High Level Implementation Strategy

18. شكراً جزيل Thank You
www.about.me/mohamedelbashir
mbashir@mbash.net