Cisco, Google, Facebook, Others Prep for IPv6 Day

Go to the Internet Society’s Website, and across the top of one of the pages is a countdown clock, the seconds ticking away as ttime closes in on World IPv6 Day June 6. 

A year ago, many large Internet companies kicked off the event with a day-long test of IPv6, the next generation of the Internet networking technology. However, this year is for real—once tech companies like Facebook, Google, Akamai, Cisco Systems and AT&T make the switch to IPv6, they won’t turn it back off. According to the Internet Society, which is sponsoring World IPv6 Day, most people and businesses will not see any impact when the switch happens June 6. However, the day will kick off a much needed step forward for an Internet that’s under pressure and quickly outgrowing the current protocol, IPv4.

“The fact that leading companies across several industries are making significant commitments to participate in World IPv6 Launch is yet another indication that IPv6 is no longer a lab experiment; it’s here and is an important next step in the Internet’s evolution,” Leslie Daigle, chief Internet technology officer for the Internet Society, said in a statement. “And, as there are more IPv6 services, it becomes increasingly important for companies to accelerate their own deployment plans.”