topic Re: IPv6 support in IPv6 Trial

IPv6 support

skynetcentral — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 18:16:52 GMT

Hi Plusnet,

Wondering how much longer is it going to be before you give us the option of having IPv6 enabled?

Many Thanks,

Re: IPv6 support

Shep41 — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 18:35:20 GMT

I wouldn't hold your breath.

Re: IPv6 support

Strat — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 22:03:07 GMT

Moderators Note
This topic has been moved from Fibre Broadband to IPv6 Trial.

Re: IPv6 support

SimonHobson — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 22:36:11 GMT

Based on feedback from those ina position to have any clue - when Satan can go ice skating, when ursines stop defecating in the woods, plus any other common saying that imply never at all.

It's been asked many times, and the only answer given by Plusnet staffers who frequent this forum is basically "we don't know any more than you do". I don't blame them, if their higher ups in the food chain don't communicate, then there's no information to give out.

Given how long ago the IPv6 trials were, one possible inference from the delays is that they just CBA spending the money needed to support it

Re: IPv6 support

w23 — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 22:53:19 GMT

IPv4 was 'running out' of addresses and IPv6 was the obvious solution but for whatever reason 'work arounds' have been found. I don't know if IPv6 will come to the fore in the future or die a sad death but, for now, we all have working internet (other than non-related issues).

I'd like to see IPv6 become the 'norm' but, for now, it seems to have lost urgency.

Re: IPv6 support

SimonHobson — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:18:11 GMT

IPv6 will take over - eventually. IPv4 will come to be seen as a legacy thing - but it's far easier accessing IPv4 services from IPv6 devices than it is the other way around (the latter is in practical terms, not possible).

All those workarounds to keep IPv4 "working" have a cost. It's already got to the point where many people (especially in Asia and thereabouts cannot have their own IPv4 address. Many people now sit behind carrier grade NAT (CGN) and that has both complications (a lot of work goes into working around the problems of NAT) and costs (the equipment costs ISPs considerable money to buy and run). The thing is, many people don't have a "working internet" - they have an internet that appears to work after some behind the scenes stuff has gone on to work around the problems.

IPv6 is more widespread than many people realise - it's the default on mobiles for example. Already some sites are IPv6 only.

According to Google's stats, access to their services is now up to almost 29% globally. Look at their per-country stats and the UK is up to 23%, while Germany is up to 43%. AIUI BT, Sky, and Talk Talk all have their users IPv6 enabled by default now - so that's a heck of a lot of users using IPv6 who don't even know it.

The biggest problem is ISPs like Plusnet that appear to be making little (if any) progress in providing IPv6 to their users. Considering that Plusnet is part of BT, it does seem odd that there's such a difference in approach to IPv6.