Why the Internet of Things Needs IPv6

Ever wondered why the move to IPv6 from IPv4 is so important? The Government Technology website has a good story explaining why.”The transition to IPv6 is important not only because the 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses are running out, the article says, “but also because the proliferation of Internet-connected devices is creating a new environment of information. ‘The Internet of Things is very much upon on us,’ said Vint Cerf, Google’s chief Internet evangelist, at the Rocky Mountain IPv6 Summit on Thursday, April 18, in Denver.””Every device that connects to the Internet requires an IP address, and it has been predicted that by 2020 there will be 50 billion Internet-enabled devices in the world. To put that number in perspective, that equates to more than six connected devices per person, based on an expected global population of 7.6 billion people. ‘With the explosion of mobile devices — especially as asset intelligence and machine-to-machine embed connectivity in literally everything — unique IP addresses are becoming a scarce resource,’ according to Deloitte.””Thus the move to IPv6 is necessary as it provides an almost unimaginable number of IP addresses — 18 quintillion blocks of 18 quintillion possible addresses.”Cerf, who gave a pre-recorded speech to the conference, explained that “in the future, vehicles will report their condition and other information in order to aid maintenance. In addition, medical and scientific instruments will automatically record and report their status as well as the data they collect.”The Government Technology article can be read in full at www.govtech.com/policy-management/Why-the-Internet-of-Things-Needs-IPv6.html.