NEWS RELEASE

Communiqué of the ICT Authority on Transition from IPv4 to IPv6

A National IPv6 Task Force will be set up to encourage the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. The recommendation follows a publication of a consultation paper in March 2011 by the ICT Authority entitled, “Issues Pertaining to Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 in Mauritius”.

The decision to set up the National IPv6 Task Force has emerged as a  result of the consultation conducted by the Authority and was endorsed by the Government on 12  August, 2011. The Government also endorsed its own leadership role to further IPv6 migration and regulatory issues related to the transition from IPv4 to IPv6.

Internet Protocol (IP) is the “language” and set of rules computers use to talk to each other over the Internet.  The existing protocol supporting the Internet today - Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) - provides the world with only 4 billion IP addresses and the last blocks of IPv4 addresses were allocated in February this year.  The emergence of IPv6, providing the world with an exponentially larger number of available IP addresses, is essential to the continued growth of the Internet.

In its consultation, in March 2011 the Authority highlighted the need for migration to IPv6. The Authority also concurrently carried out a technical survey with all local ISPs to assess their state of readiness to offer IPv6 services to the public in Mauritius.  

The recommendations and findings of the Authority’s consultation process are detailed out in the “Recommendations of the Consultation Paper on the Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 in Mauritius” in a document posted on the ICT Authority’s website (www.icta.mu).

A workshop is planned later this year to pave the way to enable stakeholders to implement the recommendations.

1 September 2011