Telecoms Forum Sharpens Desire For IPV6

DISCUSSIONS at the just concluded sixth edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and IPV6 suggested that the country is finally getting aware of the enormous benefit of the telecoms industry adopting the IPV6.

The enthusiasm of participants at the forum, which was hosted by DigitalSense Africa Media, drew the attention of the mobile network operators as well as the traditional Internet Service Provider to the need to begin to deploy technology that supports IPV6.

The event which was held at the Welcome Centre Hotel, Murtala Muhammed Airport Road, Lagos had in attendance key stakeholders in the IT and Telecoms industry and secondary school students, whose interest in the discussion of the IPV6 adoption revealed that the country has no need to slack in the adoption of IPV 6.

 L-R: Chairman, Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D 2014) and Head, Computer Science department, Prof. Charles Uwadia, Executive Director, Operations, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson represented by Engr. Olufeko Olufemi, chairman, Business and Technology News Publishers Foundation, Mr. Ken Ugbechie at the forum.

Questions answered by students like Anita Simon from Aunty Rose Secondary School, Lagos at the event with the themes: Internet Governance, eBiz and Open Access in Nigeria And IPV6 & Broadband Penetration suggested that the students who are not attending the forum for the first time knew and understand the need for Nigeria to move from IPV4 to IPV 6.

Mohammed Rudman, chief executive officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, IXPN explained that allocation of IP address from IPV4 is getting exhausted therefore necessitating the IPV6 saying that IPV6  enhances better internet communication.

The two day event which was organized in collaboration with Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) , was created and nurtured as a think-tank platform where Nigerian internet stakeholders converge annually to raise and address germane issues concerning the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector with particular reference to Computing, Internet Governance-related issues towards helping to further advance Nigeria in the ever-rapidly advancing phenomenon of global ICT.

In his remark, chairman of Day 2, Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, managing consultant, Telecoms Answers Associates said that experts having realised the limitations of the 4^th version of internet protocol called IPV4, chose to replace it with IPv6 which from all intent and purposes is designed to improve  internet delivery on routing, management, transport, mobility, security and ubiquity.

He explained: “By improving the usable addresses from 3.7billion to several thousand billion available addresses per square millimetre of the planet, enough to meet the current demand of users and in the foreseeable future. It is for that reason that one expert says that ‘IPv6 is the natural planet’. The point really is that we are on the wee hours of a future that will use IP to solve human problems beyond current imagination.”

He commended the experts as well as the organisers of the forum, Digital Sense Africa Media for their similarity in consistent commitment to the cause of sustaining the campaign to make the technology thrive.

He said further that “Broadband expansion matter is the only one subject in my memory on which all of us in the industry without exception have ever agreed. It is therefore an irony that it is also a subject that has taunted us more than any other in our history post liberalisation. The good story is that things are looking up in spite of the sluggish speed and we seem to have got the roadmap right.”

In his presentation at the Day 1 of the event, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah said that “the Internet Governance Forum, is particularly of interest to us and we have currently raised a team in the Commission that is taking part on all the Internet Governance Forum discussions taking place around Africa and beyond. The reason is to ensure that our interest as a nation is fully represented at these discussions and to also ensure that we have firsthand knowledge of how best to exploit the potentials that abound on the Internet.”

He noted: As is in many issues where the global community has different views and interests in a technology platform, Internet Governance has become an issue of discussion over the years. It is yet to be seen if the world would gravitate to accept common laws regarding access and use of the Internet.

Juwah disclosed that “there are debates on whether or not Net neutrality should be adopted. While some parts of the world approve the principle of Net Neutrality, in some other parts of the world, net neutrality does not apply.”

He said further: “Recently, an NGO, “Save the Internet” tried to explain the principle of Net Neutrality. It explains the concept as follows: Net Neutrality means an Internet that enables and protects free speech. It means that Internet service providers should provide us with open networks — and should not block or discriminate against any applications or content that ride over those networks. Just as your phone company cannot decide who you could call and what you say on that call, your ISP should not be concerned with what content you view or post online.”

Earlier while welcoming participants to the forum, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) reminded young internet users to always be mindful of what they post on the internet because everything posted on the net is traceable to the author.

She said: “you are passionately advised to mind the stuff you post and the language with which such materials are posted on the internet for global consumption. This is important because the result of what you send online for the consummation of the global village remains your permanent signature and model of your image which will definitely rub off on you in all your future contacts.”

She expressed her appreciation to the NCC, NITDA, TELEDOM Group, Galaxy Backbone, Computer Warehouse Group; Resort Savings and Loans; Smile Communication, MEDALION, PIN; CFA, IXPN, NIRA, ALTON, NCS, NITRA, ISPON, ATCON, ITAN, NIG; Business and Technology News Publishers Foundation (BT&F) ICT Publishers Alliance, and ISPAN, for all their corporate support in the hosting of the forum.