IPv6 Global Players (by IGRP group 2008 - IPv6)

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is an international organization,which was established in 1998. Its mission is to keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It coordinates the Internet's naming system and has played a transcendental role in the development of Internet in the world. It is an organization that is becoming more internationalized every year and working to involve more people of the Internet community in its processes and structures. ICANN is responsible for IANA, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, which is in charge of the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet Protocol (IP) resources.

On September 7, 2006 the ICANN Board ratified the Global Policy for Allocation of IPv6 Address Space. This policy provides for the allocation of IPv6 address space from ICANN to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). Each RIR community individually discussed the policy and approved its adoption via their own policy development processes.

In June 2007, the ICANN Board resolved "to work with the Regional Internet Registries and other stakeholders to promote education and outreach, with the goal of supporting the future growth of the Internet by encouraging the timely deployment of IPv6".

In October 2007 ICANN spread an IPv6 Factsheet with reference to the IPv4 exhaustion, the characteristics and advantages of the new Internet protocol and a quick forecast of the possible scenarios.

Last February, 2008 in New Delhi ICANN 31 meeting, a space was opened for having an IPv6 workshop with representatives of the NRO (Number Resource Organization), ICANN and ISC, where an update was made related to the transition and all technical issues regarding the IPv6 process around the world. In the ICANN Board session in New Delhi's meeting another issue related to "ICANN Deployment of IPv6-Capable Services" was resolved. In the text, it was remarked that IPv6 adoption is a key priority in ICANN's Strategic Plan, and it is requested "that ICANN staff produce a plan to implement IPv6-capable services, and deploy IPv6 across ICANN’s infrastructure as part of the 2008-09 operating plan and budget. The Board further requests that ICANN staff provide regular feedback to the community on progress and lessons learned".

In each ICANN meeting the concern about IPv4 exhaustion and the need of IPv6 adoption by the community keeps coming up as part of the overall debates. ICANN convenes a wide range of sectors that work in the Internet arena and has a bottom-up model in the decision-making process. This is an interesting and good platform to achieve the goals of the Internet community regarding IPv6 adoption as a step forward in the Internet growth and development.



Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a world wide community whose participants come from different (mostly technical) fields like security, routing, network design, research, vending and Internet or telecommunications business in general.

It operates by dividing the work in groups (Working Groups) which are joined into different areas, each one with a director (Area Director) who is member of the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). There is also a group that provides architectural oversight, called Internet Architecture Board (IAB) which is chartered by the Internet Society (ISOC).

The areas cover Application Area, General Area, Internet Area, Operation and Management Area, Real Time Applications and Infrastructure Area, Routing Area, Security Area and Transport Area, each one divided in many groups.

It works mainly by means of mailing lists associated to each discussion group and each toping being discussed. It also has many meetings within a year in which participants exchange their opinion face to face.
The participation is open for everyone wanting to contribute and taking part on the process.

We may find the Mission Statement if the IETF on RFC 3935 [citation or link] , A mission statement for the IETF:

"...The goal of the IETF is to make the Internet work better

The mission of the IETF is to produce high quality, relevant
technical and engineering documents that influence the way people
design, use, and manage the Internet in such a way as to make the
Internet work better. These documents include protocol standards,
best current practices, and informational documents of various kinds.
..."

The IETF has cardinal principles guiding the pursuit of the mission.
These principles are summarized as follows:

1. Open process where any interested person can participate, be informed and contribute to the work of IETF.
2. The IETF only produces documents for which it has the technical competence, otherwise it is open to input from technically competent sources.
3. Volunteer Core participants who subscribe to the mission of the IETF and choose to work with the organization.
4. Standards are based on combined engineering judgement of participants and real world experience of IETF in implementing and deploying specifications. This is known as the rough consensus and running code.
5. Protocol ownership is a principle in which the IETF takes ownership of a protocol or function and accepts the responsibility for all aspects of the protocol, even though some aspects may rarely or never be seen on the Internet. Conversely, when the IETF is not responsible for a protocol or function, it does not attempt to exert control over it, even though it may at times touch or affect the Internet."...

Specific of IPv6, the IETF works in many different Groups within different Areas. The areas include IPv6 over Low power WPAN, IPv6 maintenance, IP pver DVB, Mobility EXTensions for IPv6, SIte Multihoming by IPv6 Intermediation, and IPv6 Operations.



International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), whose statement is "committed to connecting the world", is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. As the global focal point for governments and the private sector, ITU's role in helping the world communicate spans three core sectors: radio-communication (ITU-R), standardization (ITU-T) and development (ITU-D).

ITU has 191 Member States [c1] and more than 700 Sector Members [c2] and Associates [c3]. Some of these sector members play significant roles for the expansion and evolution of the Internet . Its mission is bringing the benefits of ICT to all the world's inhabitants by enabling growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks, and to facilitate universal access so that people everywhere can participate in, and benefit from, the emerging information society and global economy.

A key priority lies in bridging the so called Digital Divide by building information and communication infrastructure, promoting adequate capacity building and developing confidence in the use of cyberspace through enhanced online security.

ITU develops manuals to advise Member States, especially developing countries, on issues related to Internet Protocol (IP) based networks, including the management of Internet domain names and related issues.

ITU also organizes and hosts workshops on IPv6 in cooperation with associates. Some objectives of the workshops are providing a platform for dialogue where key players in the field, including all ITU sectors, reviewing the current development of IPv6 network, technology and applications and bring more awareness to those countries who are less-developed in internet to promote the development of IPv6 .



Organization for Economic Coorperation Development (OECD)

The OECD, the Organisation for Economic cooperation and development, is a forum that convenes governments of 30 market democracies which work together to face the economic, social and governance challenges of current globalising world economy, and take advantage of its opportunities.

OECD issued a report in 2007 with an analysis of economic considerations associated with the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, in preparation of the meeting themed "The Future of the Internet Economy" held in Seoul, Korea in June 2008. In the report, governments and business sector are exhorted to be aware of the imminent depletion of IPv4 addresses and the vital need to adopt IPv6 and transmit to the ISPs and IT professionals the opportunity of adopting IPv6 on time.

They remark on the role of governments in encouraging a massive adoption of the new protocol:

“Service providers have to date been reluctant to invest because customer demand for IPv6 is low. Governments could play a role as a large user of Internet services by stimulating demand for IPv6 through their own procurement policies and public-private partnerships in IPv6 research and development”.




References

ICANN Board resolution in IPv6 addresses allocation

ICANN IPv6 Factsheet

IPv6 workshop ICANN 33

ICANN Board resolution on IPv6 deployment

ICANN Board resolution on ICANN Deployment of IPv6-Capable Services

IETF WEB Site

RFC 3935, "A Mission Statement fot the IETF"

ITU WEB Site

ITU, A Handbook on Internet Protocol (IP) Based Networks

Economic Considerations in the Management of IPv4 in the Deployment...

IETF:
6lowpan (IPv6 over Low power WPAN)
6man (IPv6 Maintenance)
ipdvb (IP over DVB)
mext (Mobility EXTensions for IPv6)
shim6 (Site Multihoming by IPv6 Intermediation)
O&M Area: v6ops (IPv6 Operations)


[c1] http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/mm/scripts/mm.list?_search=ITUstate...

[c2] http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/mm/scripts/mm.list?_search=SEC&...

[c3] http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/mm/scripts/mm.list?_search=ASSOCIAT...