Wireless Management

The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is developed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). Cox (News - Alert) Business and several of the company's customers will participate in the first global-scale test of next generation Internet addresses.

World IPv6 Day is celebrated by The Internet Society (ISOC) to encourage adoption of IPv6 Internet addresses.

According to a press release, IPv6 has a robust address space and consists of 128 bits as compared to 32 bits in IPv4 – resulting in approximately 340 undecillion (5 x 10(38)) IPv6 addresses versus the 4.2 billion available through IPv4.

"We are testing IPv6 with Cox Business (News - Alert) customers early to ensure that they can provide a consistent experience to their end users," said Jeff Finkelstein, senior director of architecture, Cox Communications. "Cox's dual-stack IPv6 deployment allows customers the ability to continue leveraging current IPv4 capability while incrementally adding the IPv6 support required for the next generation of network devices and applications."

Cox started exchanging native IPv4 and IPv6 traffic dual-stack with select business customers in 2010. The global IPv6 transition will take years to complete, therefore it is important to demonstrate the ability to support both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously to ensure no service interruptions.

iPv4 address space is expected to be depleted in 2012, when all Internet customers must begin slowly migrating their devices and content to IPv6.

"Using a voice analogy, when someone makes a call you wants to make sure the phone rings on the other end," continued Finkelstein. "Cox is deploying support for IPv6 in a way that is transparent to the customer experience and is working to ensure all networks, systems and products are fully IPv6-enabled."

Cox's core network is fully IPv6 compliant and the company is transitioning the network edge and support infrastructure to meet customer demand. According to Vertical Systems Group, Cox Business is the fourth largest provider of business Ethernet services in the U.S. based on customer ports and has been consistently recognized for its leadership among small/midsize business data service providers.

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