Huawei Collaborates on IPv6 White Paper Framework and the Establishment of the Asia-Pacific v6 Council

[KUALA LUMPUR, 28 AUGUST 2023]: The Asia-Pacific IPv6 Enhanced & 5G Global Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently which saw the unveiling of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol, version 6) Enhanced White Paper framework and the establishment of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) v6 Council.

More than 130 attendees from Governments, carriers, industry organisations, and universities in the Asia-Pacific region attended the event. The speakers at the event included four speakers from Huawei.

During the conference, the APAC v6 Council was officially established, with Prof. Emeritus Dr. Sureswaran Ramadass of IPv6 Forum Malaysia (IPv6FM) appointed as the Founding Chairman. Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) CEO Mr Simon Sun, Huawei Datacom Product Line Vice President Mr Ryan Qiu, and Huawei Datacom Chief Protocol Expert Mr Robin Li represented Huawei at the event.

The Council aims to establish a platform for high-level IPv6 dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region. By developing a regional IPv6 framework, an evolution roadmap, and a deployment plan, the Council will increase the IPv6 deployment rate in the region and promote IPv6 enhanced innovation.

IPv6FM is dedicated to the advancement and propagation of IPv6 in Malaysia. Comprised of individual members and corporate members, the IPv6FM’s mission is to provide technical leadership and innovative thought for the successful integration of IPv6 into all facets of networking and telecommunications infrastructure in the present and future.

During his Keynote Address at the conference titled, ‘IPv6 Enhanced the Cornerstone of Digitalisation’, Mr Ryan Qiu, Vice President of Huawei’s Data Communications Product Line highlighted, “An IP (Internet Protocol) network forms a vital bridge between end-users’ devices and cloud services, making it an important cornerstone of the digital economy. The digital transformation journey necessitates extensive connectivity, agile cloud access, and the assurance of a seamless experience across IP networks.”

“Enhanced operational efficiency and improved service level agreements (SLAs) are anticipated outcomes of adopting IPv6, with IPv6 Enhanced adoption poised to take it to the next level. IPv6 Enhanced has already found widespread usage across multiple industries, including public services. To facilitate the large-scale deployment of IPv6 Enhanced, Huawei will continue to provide services for the industry in multiple fields, such as standards contribution, enablement training, and commercial deployment," he added.

Mr. Dhruv Dhody and Dr Wu Qin, Huawei’s Standard Experts and members of Internet Architecture Board (IAB) of Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and Mr. Zhu Keyi , Director of Huawei Datacom Standards and Patents Department, shared their insights during the session of ‘IPv6 Enhanced Innovations’.

"Industry consensus leans toward IP network automation, with communication service providers (CSPs) unveiling relevant strategies. Digital maps offer real-time visualisation, path planning, and multi-dimensional network status tuning, acting as the ‘intelligent brain’ behind IP network automation. The digital map has matured and is now adopted by numerous global operators,” said Dr Qin during his presentation titled, ‘Network Digital Map Enables Business Success’.

In the presentation speech titled "Mature Standards, Mature Industries", Mr. Dhody said, "IP networks are transitioning into the era of Enhanced IPv6 innovations based on IPv6 extension headers, with focus moving from rapid distribution and path optimisation for businesses, to SLA assurance and visualisation, and finally around application-level experience assurance.”

He added, "Current technologies, such as IPv6 Segment Routing (SRv6), are fully mature in terms of standards, products, multi-vendor interoperability, and commercial deployment. Alongside SRv6, technologies such as slicing and In-situ Flow Information Telemetry (iFIT) have also reached a state of maturity," he said.

In a presentation titled "Accelerating IPv6 Enhanced Innovation", Mr Zhu Keyi remarked that Huawei actively contributes to IP-related industry standards and plays a significant role in their development.

“Digital transformation brings forth a multitude of opportunities for operators. On a global scale, operators are actively integrating the IPv6 Enhanced series of new technologies including SRv6, iFIT, Slicing, and more, to enhance user experiences and operational efficiency,” said Mr Zhu. 

“Presently, over 200 customers worldwide are leveraging IPv6 Enhanced networks to achieve new heights of commercial success. The time is ripe for the deployment of IPv6 Enhanced networks,” he added.

At this conference, the IPv6 Enhanced White Paper framework was unveiled, presented collectively by Huawei Malaysia, IPv6 Forum Malaysia, NLTVC Education Sdn Bhd, and others, which delves into the significance of IPv6 as a foundational element for the next-generation Internet evolution. It will explore key considerations for constructing 5G bearer networks and developing services, along with the positive impact of Government policies on the IPv6 industry’s growth.

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Sureswaran Ramadass also spoke on behalf of the World Broadband Association (WBBA) at the conference, introducing WBBA's positioning in the broadband industry and its current organisational operations. He emphasised WBBA, as an industry platform, is committed to bridging the digital divide and promoting broadband development to benefit all. He highlighted in his speech that WBBA will strengthen research on the broadband evolution path, development initiatives, green and sustainable development, and cloud-network synergy to promote communication and healthy development of the industry chain.