AfriNIC to launch IPv6 Task Force

African Network Information Center (AfriNIC) has finalized plans to launch the continent-wide Task Force on the Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6).

Disclosing this, the  IPv6 Programme Manager, AfriNIC, the regional Internet registry (RIR) for Africa, Hisham Ibrahim said that by middle of this month, February, the task force would be up and running.

“I am glad to announce that the African IPv6 Task Force AF6TF will be up and running by mid February,” he declared.

In a mail to IPV6 stakeholders in the continent, Ibrahim said this initial information is to intimate them and to get some relevant feedbacks before the inauguration of the Task Force.

He pointed out that the idea of establishing a regional task force that focuses its efforts on the uptake of IPv6 deployment within the region has been discussed for sometime in the African region.

To achieve this goal the African IPv6 Task Force (AF6TF), he said, divided its work scope among several focus groups to provide a more specialized approach and measurable targets.

Some of the focus groups, he said, include the National and Governmental Focus Group, transit and peering focus group, Domain Name System (DNS) and Web Focus Group as well as Security and applications Focus Group and Mobile Focus Group.

The National and Governmental Focus Group, he noted, has the mandate to assist governmental members and policy makers in defining and promoting a clear dated roadmap for the IPv6 implementation strategies on their large national networks and backbones.

While Transit and Peering Focus Group, he disclosed that their mandate involves assisting in transiting and peering providers in developing and implementing processes and best practice scenarios to assist with the proper and efficient deployment of IPv6 in their networks.

For the DNS and Web Focus Group, Mr. Ibrahim pointed out that directive to assist the Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) host and content providers in promotion and diffusion of IPv6 capable services on their networks.

And for the Security and applications Focus Group, the programme manager explained that the group was authorized to facilitate collaboration between academic and research organizations in the development of IPv6 tools, applications and devices.

Additionally, he said, this group would attempt to actively contribute to the international standards and specification bodies tasked with IPv6 matters.

Further, he said that the Mobile Focus Group, affords mobile operators in defining and promoting a clear dated roadmap for the IPv6 implementation strategies on their networks in preparation for Mobile Internet and Long Term Evolution (LTE) services.

According to him, all of these focus groups will report back to a steering committee elected from the active members participating in the different group.

The Secretariat, he said, would be provided by AfriNIC and would work with the Steering Committee to support each of the FGs, even as the scope would include also material preparation, meeting organization, maintaining a mailing list for discussion, alongside with hosting and publishing the Task Force website.

ITRealms Online recalls that last year, the first-ever forum on IPv6 was organized by the DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA)Media in collaboration with Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and other stakeholders in the Nigeria ICT ecosystem in Lagos, with the theme “IPv6 – Join the players.”

As said by the Executive Director, Operations at DSA, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, the aim of the roundtable was to provide a platform for all stakeholders in the country to share IPv6 knowledge and experience, chart a roadmap for early transition to IPv6 as IPv4 addresses run out; promote IPv6-enabled products and services in addition to providing a platform for networking on this very important subject.

Equally, she noted that the forum was aimed at creating awareness of the Future Internet and potential impact on the country’s economy, encourage participation of Nigeria stakeholders in the Second Internet Initiatives, encouraging greater Research & Development plus investment in activities around the Future Internet.

In addition, she said it was worthy to note that the World IPv6 Day slated for June 8 is a strategy to encourage successful migration to IPv6.

Remmy Nweke
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