China continues to report progress in the deployment and use of IPv6, with updated figures reflecting further growth in user adoption, network traffic, and industry uptake.
According to a post from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), by June 2025, the number of active IPv6 users had reached 834 million, accounting for 75.29% of all Internet users in China. IPv6 traffic represented 31% of national Internet traffic, including 66% of mobile network traffic and 28% of fixed network traffic.
Strategic push for IPv6
China’s steady progress towards IPv6 builds on national strategies like the Action Plan for Promoting the Large-Scale Deployment of IPv6 and is now being driven by the Key Points for Deepening the Large-Scale Deployment and Application of IPv6 in 2025, which sets ambitious targets for extending IPv6 across infrastructure, applications, government networks and services.
Among the 2025 targets are:
- 850 million active IPv6 users
- 1.1 billion IPv6-connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices
- 70% IPv6 traffic on mobile networks
- 27% IPv6 traffic on fixed networks
- Broader default support for IPv6 in new services, networks, and terminals
The ‘Key Points’ also define 42 key tasks across nine thematic areas, covering everything from single-stack IPv6 deployment and network optimization, to expanded terminal compatibility and improved security assurance. These measures are designed to shift the focus from simply enabling IPv6 to improving performance, user experience, and operational sustainability.
Much of this groundwork was laid during the China Next Generation Internet (CNGI) initiative, which positioned IPv6 as a foundation for future technology infrastructure — including 5G, the Internet of Things, smart cities, and digital sovereignty.
China’s IPv6 future
As of mid-2025, China appears on track toward these targets. While APNIC Labs shows China’s IPv6 adoption at around 45% (Figure 1), a more detailed analysis of Autonomous System (AS)-level data (Table 1) supports the observation that IPv6 capability is embedded across core networks and is gradually expanding across access networks and user devices.
| ASN | AS name | IPv6 capable |
| AS13335 | CLOUDFLARENET | 99.35% |
| AS132225 | CHINATELECOM-QINGHAI-5G-NETWORK China Telecom | 98.76% |
| AS134774 | CHINANET-GUANGDONG-SHENZHEN-MAN CHINANET Guangdong province Shenzhen MAN network | 98.34% |
| AS131285 | CHINATELECOM-HUBEI-SHENGJI-5G-NETWORK CHINATELECOM Hubei province Shengji 5G network | 98.09% |
| AS63838 | CT-HUNAN-HENGYANG-IDC Hengyang | 97.68% |
| AS140647 | CHINATELECOM-GUIZHOU-SHENGJI-5G-NETWORK CHINATELECOM Guizhou province Shengji 5G network | 97.17% |
| AS140553 | CHINATELECOM-XINJIANG-SHENGJI-5G-NETWORK CHINATELECOM XINJIANG province Shengji 5G network | 96.90% |
| AS135061 | UNICOM-SHENZHEN-IDC China Unicom Guangdong IP network | 96.44% |
| AS140485 | CHINATELECOM-ZHEJIANG-HANGZHOU-5GC-NETWORK CHINATELECOM ZHEJIANG province HANGZHOU 5GC network | 96.16% |
| AS140345 | CHINATELECOM-YUNNAN-SHENGJI-5G-NETWORK CHINATELECOM Yunnan province Shengji 5G network | 95.22% |
| AS58540 | CHINATELECOM-SHANDONG-JINAN-IDC Jinan,250000 | 95.04% |
| AS136959 | UNICOM-FUOSHAN-IDC China Unicom Guangdong IP network | 94.82% |
| AS58542 | CHINATELECOM-TIANJIN Tianjij,300000 | 89.96% |
| AS137694 | CHINATELECOM-XINJIANG-KEZHOU-MAN CHINATELECOM Xinjiang Kezhou MAN network | 85.37% |
| AS136958 | UNICOM-GUANGZHOU-IDC China Unicom Guangdong IP network | 83.09% |
| AS134771 | CHINATELECOM-ZHEJIANG-WENZHOU-IDC WENZHOU, ZHEJIANG Province, P.R.China. | 78.92% |
| AS136190 | CHINATELECOM-ZHEJIANG-JINHUA-IDC JINHUA, ZHEJIANG Province, P.R.China. | 74.70% |
| AS63835 | CT-HUNAN-CHANGSHA-IDC No.293,Wanbao Avenue | 74.35% |
| AS137692 | CHINATELECOM-IOT-GUANGDONG-NETWORK IOT Guangdong network, Chinatelecom, P.R.China. | 73.82% |
| AS24400 | CMNET-V4SHANGHAI-AS-AP Shanghai Mobile Communications Co.,Ltd. | 73.80% |
| AS134543 | UNICOM-DONGGUAN-IDC China Unicom Guangdong IP network | 72.66% |
| AS56040 | CMNET-GUANGDONG-AP China Mobile communications corporation | 70.80% |
| AS38019 | CMNET-V4TIANJIN-AS-AP tianjin Mobile Communication Company Limited | 69.84% |
| AS24424 | GOOGLECN Beijing Gu Xiang Information Technology Co.,Ltd. | 69.54% |
| AS134770 | CHINANET-JIANGSU-SUZHOU-TAIHU-IDC CHINANET Jiangsu province Suzhou taihu IDC network | 68.18% |
| AS140636 | CHINANET-IOT-BEIJING China Telecom | 67.18% |
| AS134419 | CHINATELECOM-GUANGXI-BEIHAI-MAN Beihai | 66.31% |
| AS134810 | CMNET-JILIN-AS-AP China Mobile Group JiLin communications corporation | 65.86% |
| AS56041 | CMNET-ZHEJIANG-AP China Mobile communications corporation | 64.04% |
| AS17621 | CNCGROUP-SH China Unicom Shanghai network | 62.17% |
| AS56048 | CMNET-BEIJING-AP China Mobile Communicaitons Corporation | 60.13% |
| AS140726 | UNICOM-HEFEI-MAN UNICOM AnHui province network | 60.00% |
| AS137689 | CHINATELECOM-IOT-JIANGSU-NETWORK IOT Jiangsu network, Chinatelecom, P.R.China. | 57.72% |
| AS4847 | CNIX-AP China Networks Inter-Exchange | 55.21% |
| AS56044 | CMNET-AS-LIAONING China Mobile communications corporation | 53.18% |
| AS56046 | CMNET-JIANGSU-AP China Mobile communications corporation | 52.79% |
| AS24547 | CMNET-V4HEBEI-AS-AP Hebei Mobile Communication Company Limited | 49.25% |
| AS9808 | CHINAMOBILE-CN China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 48.38% |
| AS56047 | CMNET-HUNAN-AP China Mobile communications corporation | 48.11% |
| AS24444 | CMNET-V4SHANDONG-AS-AP Shandong Mobile Communication Company Limited | 46.57% |
| AS140308 | CHINATELECOM-GUANGDONG-ZHUHAI-5G-NETWORK CHINATELECOM Guangdong province Zhuhai 5G network | 45.96% |
| AS4808 | CHINA169-BJ China Unicom Beijing Province Network | 45.93% |
| AS17638 | CHINATELECOM-TJ-AS-AP ASN for TIANJIN Provincial Net of CT | 44.75% |
| AS138378 | CNGI-KMN-IX-AS-AP CERNET2 regional IX at Yunnan University | 44.71% |
| AS24445 | CMNET-V4HENAN-AS-AP Henan Mobile Communications Co.,Ltd | 43.94% |
| AS55960 | BJ-GUANGHUAN-AP Beijing Guanghuan Xinwang Digital | 42.21% |
| AS4837 | CHINA169-BACKBONE CHINA UNICOM China169 Backbone | 41.90% |
| AS56042 | CMNET-SHANXI-AP China Mobile communications corporation | 40.08% |
| AS132525 | CMNET-HEILONGJIANG-CN HeiLongJiang Mobile Communication Company Limited | 39.08% |
| AS4134 | CHINANET-BACKBONE No.31,Jin-rong Street | 38.59% |
| AS4812 | CHINANET-SH-AP China Telecom Group | 38.59% |
Table 1 — Top 50 IPv6 capable ASNs in China on 7 August 2025. Source.
The AS data in Table 1 highlights strong momentum among China’s major networks, with significant variation across ASes. China Mobile shows particularly high IPv6 capability across several regional ASes, for example, AS24400 (Shanghai) reports over 73% IPv6-capable users, while AS56040 (Guangdong) and AS38019 (Tianjin) exceed 60%. China Telecom’s backbone (AS4134) and Shanghai branch (AS4812) both sit at around 38.6%, indicating steady progress but with room for growth. Meanwhile, China Unicom’s regional networks, such as AS17621 (Shanghai) at 62.17% and AS4837 (national backbone) at 41.9%, show moderate to strong capability. These figures illustrate how regional deployments can enhance IPv6 capabilities across an economy and support a broader strategy for end-to-end IPv6 integration across fixed and mobile networks.
Outlook
Looking ahead, CAC and related agencies are expected to continue supporting the transition by promoting best practices, strengthening performance monitoring, and encouraging further adoption in underrepresented sectors.
China’s steady IPv6 progress reflects more than just numbers — it signals the effectiveness of long-term, coordinated planning in modernizing Internet infrastructure. With hundreds of millions of active users, high levels of mobile IPv6 traffic, and targeted policy mechanisms in place, China is not only approaching its 2025 benchmarks but is also laying the foundation for a fully IPv6-enabled digital future.
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