In commemoration of Viet Nam IPv6 Day 2018, the Viet Nam Network Information Centre (VNNIC), the Standing Committee for the Viet Nam IPv6 Task Force (VNIPv6TF), held a series of conferences and workshops to promote IPv6 deployment in 4G LTE, content services and the networks of government agencies.
Below is a short summary of the highlights from across Viet Nam.
IPv6 deployment in 4G LTE and content services, Hanoi
The Standing Committee for VNIPv6TF hosted a conference with the above theme on 4 May 2018 in Hanoi.
The conference was moderated by Mr Pham Hong Hai, Deputy Minister of MIC and Mr Tran Minh Tan, Director General of VNNIC. Representatives of FPT Online, VNPT, Viettel, VNG, and Mobifone delivered speeches about IPv6 deployment solutions and plans for their mobile and content services. They also shared information between ISPs regarding strategy, transition issues and IPv6 technical issues.
Undoubtedly, the proliferation of smartphones together with global mobile consumer trends have driven the need for more IP addresses and the need to expand bandwidth. Therefore, it is essential to take the initiative to deploy IPv6 in 4G LTE, 5G and provide IPv6-enabled content unless Viet Nam wants to stand outside the development trend.
In Viet Nam, FTTH networks have contributed greatly to the recent increase in the IPv6 adoption rate. By the end of April 2018, the IPv6 adoption rate in Viet Nam was around 14% with more than 6 million IPv6 users. FPT Telecom and VNPT are leading ISPs in IPv6 deployment in the economy.
FPT Telecom is continuously giving an impulse to provide IPv6 services to their customers. They have deployed IPv6 on FTTH for about 1.5 million residential customers. According to APNIC statistics, FPT Telecom’s IPv6 adoption rate reached about 30% in April 2018 with 2.7 million IPv6 users.
Read: FPT Telecom’s IPv6 journey
The second contribution to the IPv6 adoption rate in Viet Nam has been from VNPT; its adoption rate has increased by 8% in just a few months in 2018, with 2.4 million IPv6 users. Following FPT Telecom’s lead, VNPT had deployed a dual-stack IPv6 network for more than 1 million FTTH residential customers.
Although VNPT’s IPv6 adoption rate is currently below FPT’s, they are taking the initiative to experiment on 4G LTE networks, in an effort to become the first mobile provider in Viet Nam to provide IPv6 officially for 4G LTE customers. Up until the beginning of May 2018, VNPT’s network has measured over 2.025.208kbit/s of IPv6 traffic and provided IPv6 for 134,164 4G LTE subscribers.
During the conference, VNPT representatives also discussed its plans to deploy IPv6-only architecture in 2019. This achievement will mark a key milestone in IPv6 deployment in Viet Nam.
In the content area, Viet Nam has witnessed a 400% increase in ‘.vn’ websites that are IPv6 enabled. FPT Online is the pioneer in this field having transitioned all its website content to IPv6, including VnExpress, which is the most read online newspaper in Viet Nam. Only a few other content providers have started to provide IPv6-enabled content to their customers while others are currently experimenting on their networks.
IPv6 deployment among government agencies, Ho Chi Minh City
Following the conference in Hanoi, a workshop and a conference were held in Ho Chi Minh City from 9 to 11 May 2018.
The two-day workshop aimed to enhance the mutual learning and understanding of IPv6 transition strategies to enable government agencies to understand best practices in deploying IPv6.
Figure 3 — The conference, held on 11 May, focused on the National IPv6 Action Plan; providing guidance to government agencies who are in the midst of their own deployment planning.
At the start of 2018, 27 government websites had enabled IPv6. In the MPLS government network, the Department of Central Posts and Telecommunications has been continuously deploying IPv6 and collaborating with relevant ICT authorities to provide IPv6-enabled content for their websites and services. Other government agencies have been experimenting on the transition to IPv6 for portals and e-services.
To meet the requirements of the National IPv6 Action Plan in 2018, ICT authorities need to increase their collaborative efforts and seek higher commitment levels from departments to ensure that their network and infrastructure are IPv6 ready.
VNNIC and relevant agencies have been working on implementing development policies and building legal frameworks to promote IPv6 in Viet Nam and secure sustainable development on portals and e-services. A positive outcome has been Circular 32/2017/TT-BTTTT, which will take effect from 1 June 2018 to make IPv6 and DNSSEC a requirement for portals and e-services level 3 and level 4. It is expected that IPv6 adoption rates in Viet Nam will reach 20% by the end of 2018 with the collaborative engagement of government agencies and private sectors.
Truong Khanh Huyen is a Communication and International Cooperation Officer at the Viet Nam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC).
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