TRA’s involvement and action

The TRA participated in the Middle East Network Operators Group (MENOG) 5 / RIPE NCC Regional Meeting that was held in Beirut, on October 25 and 29, 2009.

In preparation for the above mentioned event, the TRA also organized a roundtable meeting on September 29 , to discuss the introduction of IPv6 and its implications.

The round table covered the following topics:

• Status of IPv6 capability in the current ISP setup (including the scarcity of IPv4 real IP addresses ) and the main cost factors to upgrade any premises that do not support the Dual Stack.
• Available Plans for a smooth IPv6 Introduction including Double Running, as well as the readiness of their Tier-1 providers to IPv6 transition and parallel running
• The Status of lb domain registrar towards the Double running and the technical and financial implications
• The Status of the existing IXP Node
• Industry’s and other stakeholders’ role

To read learn more about the round table click here

About IPV6

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next-generation Internet Protocol version designated as the successor to IPv4, the first implementation used in the Internet for the last two decades that is still in dominant use currently. It is an Internet Layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks. The main driving force for the redesign of Internet Protocol is the foreseeable IPv4 address exhaustion. In fact, IPv4 is showing signs of strain especially in its fast depleting IP address space and its growing security concerns.

IPv6 was defined in December 1998 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) with the publication of an Internet standard specification, RFC 2460.

IPv6 has a vastly larger address space than IPv4. This results from the use of a 128-bit address, whereas IPv4 uses only 32 bits. This expansion provides flexibility in allocating addresses and routing traffic and eliminates the primary need for network address translation (NAT), which gained widespread deployment as an effort to alleviate IPv4 address exhaustion.

IPv6 also implements new features that simplify aspects of address assignment (stateless address auto configuration) and network renumbering (prefix and router announcements) when changing Internet connectivity providers. The IPv6 subnet size has been standardized by fixing the size of the host identifier portion of an address to 64 bits to facilitate an automatic mechanism for forming the host identifier from Link Layer media addressing information (MAC address).

About IPV6 Forum

The IPv6 Forum is a world-wide consortium of international Internet service providers (ISPs) and National Research & Education Networks (NRENs), with a mission to promote IPv6 by improving market and user awareness, creating a quality and secure New Generation Internet and allowing world-wide equitable access to knowledge and technology. The key focus of the IPv6 Forum today is to provide technical guidance for the deployment of IPv6. IPv6 Summits are organized by the IPv6 Forum and staged in various locations around the world to provide industry and market with the best available information on this rapidly advancing technology.

For more info, please visit http://www.ipv6forum.com/

About IPV6 Forum Lebanon

The IPv6 Forum welcomes Lebanon as its newest member with the establishment of the IPv6 Forum Lebanon under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mona Al-achkar Jabbour, President of LITA (Lebanese Information Technologies Association) as its Coordinator.

The IPv6 Forum Lebanon is a chapter of the IPv6 Forum dedicated to the advancement and propagation of IPv6 in Lebanon. Comprised of individual members, as opposed to corporate sponsors, its mission is to provide technical leadership and innovative thought for the successful integration of IPv6 into all facets of networking and telecommunications infrastructure, present and future.

TRA’s involvement in IPV6 Forum Lebanon

Through its membership in the IPv6 Forum Lebanon, TRA will be playing an important role as a facilitator to IPv6 adoption. TRA Board, Mr. Patrick Eid, Head of Market and Competition Unit, Dr. Imad Hoballah, Head of Telecommunications Technologies Unit and Mrs. Mahassen el Ajam, Head of Consumers Affairs Unit will be actively participating in the Forum’s deliberations.