The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently launched three new services under the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)—IP Guru, NIXI Academy, and NIXI-IP-INDEX. These initiatives aim to foster the adoption of IPv6 and facilitate a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6.
About the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)
Established in 2003, NIXI is a non-profit organization set up under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. Its mission is to expand internet infrastructure across India through the following activities: operating Internet Exchanges for data exchange between Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Data Centers, and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs); managing the .IN Registry that operates the .IN country code domain and .BHARAT IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) domain; and running the Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN), which manages Internet Protocol (IPv4/IPv6).
Overview of the Three New Initiatives
IP Guru: This initiative aims to help Indian organizations struggling with technical challenges in migrating to and adopting IPv6. IP Guru, a combined effort by the Department of Telecom (DOT), MeitY, and industry stakeholders, will offer its services free of cost.
NIXI Academy: This platform is designed to educate both technical and non-technical individuals in India about technologies like IPv6, which are typically not covered in educational institutions. Upon passing the examination, candidates can receive a certification from NIXI that could aid in job acquisition or advancement.
NIXI-IP-INDEX: To monitor the rate of IPv6 adoption, NIXI has developed an IPv6 index portal for the internet community. This portal will provide insights into IPv6 adoption rates in India and across the globe, web adoption of IPv6, IPv6 traffic, and more.
Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 IP
The term ‘IP’ stands for ‘Internet Protocol’, which is a set of rules governing data delivery over the internet. While IPv4 was the first major version of IP and carries 94% of Internet traffic today, IPv6 is the most recent version developed to meet the demand for more Internet addresses.
IPv4 uses a 32-bit address scheme and has an addressing capability of roughly 4.3 billion addresses. On the other hand, IPv6, also referred to as IPng (Internet Protocol next generation), provides a virtually infinite amount of addresses with its 128-bit address space, helping address the problem of IP address exhaustion globally.
Benefits of Transitioning to IPv6
The primary advantage of IPv6 is its nearly unlimited address space, simplifying connectivity for service providers, enterprises, and end-users. The move to IPv6 is particularly crucial considering the upcoming transition to 5G, which will significantly increase the total number of devices connecting to the Internet.
IPv6 operating systems create two addresses—one with a randomized MAC address in the suffix to protect device identity and another with the actual MAC address used for end-to-end encrypted applications. Unlike IPv4, IPv6 includes a privacy protocol to guard end-user privacy and provides an effective authentication mechanism.
Importance for India
The sustainable development and evolution of internet infrastructure play a pivotal role in the global cyberspace and digital economy. Being a critical internet resource, the IPv6 root server system is central to maintaining the security and stability of the internet. It offers the potential to cultivate national expertise in vital information infrastructure, bolstering technological knowledge within the country and aiding legal surveillance by Indian authorities.