XS4ALL Introduces native IPv6 for DSL customers

[Marco Hogewoning]

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Groet,

MarcoH

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PRESS RELEASE	26 August 2010

IPv6 available for all, starting today

XS4ALL OFFERS IPv6 TO ALL CUSTOMERS

Dutch ISP XS4ALL has officially started providing IPv6 connectivity to all its customers today. The current pool of available IP addresses (IPv4) will likely run dry within one year, forcing ISPs to take action. When there are no longer IPv4 addresses available, new services can only be connected to the Internet via IPv6. XS4ALL has been working hard on implementing the new protocol and the hard labour is paying off: XS4ALL is among the very first providers in Europe to make IPv6 available to its customers, offering them the chance to prepare for the future.

Successful pilot

XS4ALL customers have been able to experiment with IPv6 for some time now, using so called IPv6 tunnelling. This tunnelling technique provides IPv6 connectivity, but is still dependent upon the underlying IPv4 infrastructure. Today’s new technology however offers native IPv6, totally independent of the old IPv4 protocol, which makes it truly future proof. To be able to provide large scale IPv6 connectivity, XS4ALL has recently completed a very successful pilot in which several hundred customers have been testing the new protocol. Thanks to their co-operation and feedback XS4ALL was able to identify several minor problems in its network. With those fixed, we feel confident that the protocol can now be released to the general public.

What’s in a name

“Seventeen years ago we were the first to provide internet access to the public in The Netherlands,” says Niels Huijbregts, XS4ALL’s spokesperson. “Now we’re the first to ensure future connectivity as the Internet expands to cover more and more devices and places. Once again we’re providing Access for All”. IP addresses are the unique numbers that identify every computer on the Internet. Because of the rapid growth of the net, new addresses are running out. That’s why it’s of major importance to start using the new protocol: when all IPv4 addresses have been given out, new services can only be connected to the Internet using IPv6. “If you start using the new protocol now, there’s still time to get used to it and experiment. If you wait too long you run the risk of having to switch in great haste,” says Huijbregts.

Flick of a switch

XS4ALL customers can activate IPv6 on their account with a simple flick of a switch in the Service Centre on the company’s website. They can start using the new protocol right away, provided they have DSL modem that supports IPv6. Suitable new modems will be provided to customers who renew their contract.
Now that this important milestone has been reached, XS4ALL will focus on adjusting all mail and web servers, the last step in making the company fully IPv6-ready.


For more information please call Niels Huijbregts, XS4ALL’s spokesperson