The Asia-Pacific region has reached an internet milestone: 50% of its networks are now IPv6-capable, according to the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC).
Led by India (78% of networks IPv6-capable) and China (45%), the region accounts for 64% of global IPv6 users — over 800 million of them in China, and 600 million in India. North America, despite 52% of its networks being IPv6 capable, only accounts for 9.4% of global IPv6 users.
It’s a sign of how the Asia-Pacific region is preparing for cloud, IoT, and AI-driven growth while in other parts of the world IPv6 adoption is taking too long.
The region’s fast-forward adoption is also driven by necessity. As the first region to run out of IPv4 addresses — IPv4 provides just 4.3 billion of them for the whole world — it had to evolve quickly. IPv6’s offers a vastly bigger address space with its 128-bit structure, plus built-in security (IPSec), QoS for real-time apps, and better performance without the need for NAT (Network Address Translation), a workaround used to make scarce IPv4 addresses go further. National policies and a public-private push, especially in India and China, have accelerated the rollout.
Jia Rong Low, CEO of APNIC, the regional internet registry for Asia-Pacific, pointed out in a blog post celebrating the rollout that these countries have surged ahead due to strong policy backing, along with their massive internet user base. Necessity, scale, and policy alignment have made the region a global leader in IPv6 adoption.
Satya N Gupta, Chairman of Bharat IPv6 Forum and Professor of Practice at South Asian University, expects success to breed success. “The nations still struggling will be able to tap into resources and learn from best practices deployed by achievers, which will accelerate IPv6 adoption.”
Globally, the transition to IPv6 is advancing steadily, with 34% of networks now IPv6-capable. Not all IPv6-capable networks are using it by default; though: Capability means the system can use IPv6 — not that it prefers it.
Still, the direction is clear. Countries like Vietnam (60% of networks IPv6-capable), Japan (58%), and Thailand (50%) show how IPv6 has moved from aspiration to infrastructure.
For ISPs, switching to IPv6 isn’t just technical, it’s rewiring networks, replacing customer gear, and staying ahead of rising IPv4 costs. in return, ISPs can reduce their dependence on increasingly scarce and expensive IPv4 addresses. With features like stateless address configuration and the elimination of NAT, IPv6 simplifies network management and cuts operational overhead for the ISPs and enterprise IPv6 users.
Many governments in the region — including India, China, and Malaysia — have bolstered this movement through policy mandates. Still, managing dual-stack systems and ensuring seamless user connectivity across both protocols continues to test operational agility.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), too, are riding the IPv6 wave. These infrastructure backbones, essential in a geographically vast region like Asia Pacific, benefit from improved routing and address availability, and can provide access to websites hosted on IPv4-only servers over IPv6 networks.
The ecosystem powering IPv6
Hardware makers sit at the heart of this shift as demand for IPv6-ready devices from routers and switches to smartphones and IoT sensors soars. However, the challenge remains: ensuring backward compatibility while phasing out older, IPv4-only equipment without disrupting user experience.
Software developers, too, have a vital role to play. As networks evolve, applications must adapt. This means rewriting legacy code, adopting address-family independent APIs, and avoiding hardcoded IPv4 dependencies. IPv6 brings cleaner peer-to-peer communication and simplified architecture — but the onus is on developers to ensure seamless functionality in dual-stack environments.
Skills shortage
Despite clear progress, IPv6 adoption still has roadblocks. Dual-stack systems are still necessary, adding complexity and cost. Many organizations don’t see an urgent business case — especially when IPv4, propped up by NAT and CDNs, still works “well enough.” Add in security concerns, outdated tools, and a shortage of IPv6-savvy professionals, and the shift slows further.
According to Gupta, this skills gap represents the primary challenge for businesses. “The only challenge for business in this transition is lack of technical competency to implement it,” he notes. “They need to build the necessary capacity through skilling and upskilling their IT and networking manpower. Lot of avenues and facilities are available for this through government and industry associations and forums.”
Source:: Network World