How long would it take Nigeria to achieve the adoption of and migration to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6-only)? And what are the consequences that await late-comers?
The world is moving to IPv6-only digital infrastructure in pursuit of the monumental opportunities and benefits of the digital future. And undoubtedly, that future would be governed by AI. Artificial Intelligent has becomes the buzzword and global currency of digital transformation.
AI is thrown on us with reckless abandon as if AI exists in isolation of other critical digital infrastructure. But it does not. It abundantly needs other digital interfaces to enable it to perform its functions with secured, efficient, and trustworthy deliverables.
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Many nations have focused on the adoption of and migration to IPv6 for decades, in preparation for the digital promise and safety.
Whereas, many other nations are sleeplessly waiting for the handouts of Father Xmas. That further translates to the multiplication of digital vulnerabilities and related risks, unless critical national infrastructure models are IPv6-only enabled!
The ubiquitous nature and complexities of digital transformation have become the next Frontier in global competitiveness and national survivability. And there are many Crossovers to be attained and mastered to escape digital Slavery.
The feasible gateway to crossover from our current internet playmate concept to the Work-ternet world, the feasible pathfinder and game-changer is the IPv6-only gateway. Our future world represents a dense spiderweb of machine-governed Workternet – otherwise known as AI.
Indeed, digital transformation is currently challenging humanity with a double-digit Crossover assignment. And this significant assignment which doubles as the gift of the future must be recognised, mastered, and effectively delivered.
As a mobile device connectivity-centric nation, Nigeria’s V6 adoption has not accelerated due to the ubiquitous deployment of IPv4-enabled devices. This is because of her current addictive consumerism nature – which does not promote digital research and development.
Therefore, the crossover will be incomplete and perhaps disastrous without the implementation of Internet Protocol version six. IPv6 can be better understood if interpreted as an administrative mechanism and digital enabler for migrating from the Internet to the digital Work-ternet Experience.
In the past 20 years, many nations of the World started the IPv6 migration journey. Today, most of them have mastered the challenges of moving from IPv4 to IPv6. A dual-stack initiative of engaging the digital future and its promises. The current aspiration is to migrate to the IPv6-Only Network environment.
IPv6 will increase network functionality and address space, enabling every user and device to have a unique IP address. This will have a profound impact on IoT deployments; it means IoT devices will finally be able to “talk to each other”.
The concern is that it may take Nigeria another decade or more to attain an IPv6-only Network operating environment. All those buzzwords about AI, IoT, Blockchain, Smart Cities, Broadband, etc. will dissolve and becomes a pipe dream unless we migrate to IPv6-only digital environment.
Since IPv6 lacks routing protocol support, it relies solely on static routes. As a result, it is less popular than IPv4. In IPv4, the widespread use of NAT (Network Address Translation) devices allows a single NAT address to mask thousands of addresses, enhancing end-to-end integrity and performance.
At the recent Global IPV6 Enhanced Council meeting under the Founder/ Chairmanship of Prof. Latif Ladid, it was revealed that the world may sooner than later experience colossal Data-Chaos leading to a digital rapture – if the digital transformation process is not fastened with the IPv6-Only information architecture.
Meanwhile, it is significant to state that Africa has recently woken up to the reality of the inevitable adoption and migration of IPv6-only Networks to drive future government and digital economy,
This is informed by the recent two-day workshop on IPv6. It assembled key decision-makers from African ICT policy makers including ministries, stakeholders, and regulators.
The aim is to explore ways in which the African governments can drive IPv6 adoption, identify key projects that can turn the tides of IPv6 deployment, and create an Action Plan to inspire and spur all stakeholders to deploy IPv6 in their respective countries.
In his opening remarks, the Acting Director-General of RURA, Emile Patrick Baganizi, said that the World is currently witnessing a crucial moment in capacity building in internet development.
“The rapid growth of digital technologies has led to a significant increase in the number of connected devices, creating unprecedented demand for internet connectivity,” said RURA DG Baganizi.
“This demand is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the coming years, with projections indicating that there could be as many as 30 billion connected devices by 2030.”
The workshop also acknowledged that the growth of IPv4 comes with immense challenges, with respect to the availability of IP addresses. AFRINIC currently has in her arsenal about 4 million IPv4 unique IP addresses.
Consequently, the workshop adopted significant resolutions focused on inviting Member States, Sector Members, and various entities, both governmental and private, including academic institutions and civil society, to promote national initiatives that foster necessary information exchange and coordination for IPv6 deployment.
But there is a huge task before African nations and businesses to underscore the fact that it may take more than a decade to realise the desired goal of adopting and migrating to IPv6-only digital infrastructure to tame digital slavery and addictive consumerism.
