(PHOTO: VCG)

By ZHONG Jianli

A document promoting the evolution of IPv6 technology has been issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other departments, with an aim to give full play to the potential and technical advantages of IPv6 protocol and better meet the high requirements for 5G networks, industrial Internet, Internet of Things and other emerging technologies.

IPv6 is the next-generation Internet protocol version developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an international standardization organization for the Internet, to deal with the long-anticipated issues of IPv4 address exhaustion. Currently, the number of active IPv6 users exceeds 740 million in China, and the country has been fully equipped with the capability of IPv6 services for network and application infrastructure.

The document states that by the end of 2025, notable progress should be made in the evolution of IPv6 technology and its application innovation, the ability of network technology innovation be significantly enhanced, the application of innovative technologies such as "IPv6+" be further expanded, and the level of integrated application of "IPv6+" in key industries be greatly improved.

A total of 15 key tasks are laid out in five aspects in the document — building an IPv6 evolution technology system, strengthening the industrial foundation of IPv6 evolution innovation, accelerating the evolution and development of IPv6 infrastructure, deepening the integrated application of "IPv6+" industries, and improving security assurance capabilities.

To enhance the IPv6 infrastructure, the document proposes that basic networks such as backbone networks, metropolitan area networks and 5G should be further upgraded and evolved based on IPv6.

In terms of building the IPv6 evolution technology system, the document requires promoting the integration and innovation of IPv6, 5G, AI, cloud computing and other technologies, stepping up the formulation and implementation of relevant national and industrial standards for IPv6 application, and contributing to the formation of international standards.