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The Transition to IPv6 Next Generation Protocols
Upgrading the Internet with the provision of additional public The TCP/IP protocol suite can no longer provide the scale,
IP addresses is essential to ensure it can keep growing and security, mobility and ease of deployment required for
allow new entrants to join. Internet Protocol version 6 the connected society of the 21st century. Developments
(IPv6) was developed as a replacement for IPv4. It solves in the technology of local access networks (such as
the problem of IPv4 address exhaustion, provides enhanced LTE™-A, G.Fast, DOCSIS 3.1 and 5G) will not deliver their
features and enables new Internet services in need of end- full potential unless, in parallel, the communications and
to-end connectivity and security. networking protocols evolve holistically. In 2016, our ISG
on Next Generation Protocols (NGP) therefore began work
Our ISG on IPv6 Integration is addressing the transition on the future requirements for Internet Protocols. We are
from IPv4 to IPv6, bringing together stakeholders from all developing a series of GSs which will include a summary of
over the world to work on pre-standardisation in a neutral relevant technologies, architectures and protocols under
environment, defining requirements and use cases, outlining research, together with an assessment of their maturity and
best practices, gathering support and creating awareness of practicality for implementation to begin by 2020.
the impact of IPv6.
In October, we published our first GS on NGP, defining key
In 2016, we made good progress with 15 GSs, liaising scenarios needed to support existing defined next generation
with other standards-making bodies around the world use cases. We started work on a new version with additional
to help achieve a global solution. Our output will include scenarios immediately.
specifications outlining the motivation and best practices for
the deployment of IPv6 in different areas – enterprise, public At the same time, building on this specification, we began
safety and the emergency sector. A key GS will describe IPv6, defining a GS outlining the requirements for NGP, and
the challenges arising from transition from IPv4 to IPv6 and a Group Report (GR) identifying and evaluating routing
their co-existence, and then identify best current practices technologies likely to be suitable for NGP. We also began
and develop guidelines for mitigating any issues identified. work on self-organising control and management planes, and
the evolved architecture for mobility using Identity Oriented
Other specifications address the use of IPv6 in new Networks.
technologies, in particular, the Internet of Things (IoT) and
Machine-to-Machine communications, Software Defined
Networking and NFV, 5G mobile Internet, Cloud computing
and smart grids, as well as IPv6 over Time-Slotted Channel
Hopping (6TiSCH) technology, privacy and security.
TC CABLE completed a set of Test Descriptions for each
of the five IPv6 transition technologies, which provide
interoperability and test cases that go beyond compliance
and protocol conformance testing to enable the deployment
of IPv6 transition technology in operational networks. The
specifications address the engineering and end-to-end
operational aspects across the whole cable network domain,
including home networks, access networks, core networks
(edge-to-core), data centres, service centres, transit and
peering, network management and monitoring and network
security. They thus provide comprehensive support to the
cable industry as it makes the transition to IPv6.

Future Networks
In October, TC NTECH completed a TR on the application
of the Generic Autonomic Network Architecture (GANA)
reference model to mobile backhaul and core networks. We
also initiated a similar activity on the application of the GANA
model to fixed broadband access and aggregation networks
and completed a TR on the application of the GANA model to
ad hoc and mesh networks.

An ETSI White Paper on the GANA reference model for
autonomic networking, cognitive networking and self-
management of networks and services was published in
October.

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