Press Releases

Budapest, June 7, 2011 16:00

Magyar Telekom and its subsidiary, KFKI is joining the World IPv6 Day content-and internet providers have announced all over the world. Joining the international initiative scheduled for June 8, 2011, Telekom will provide content on IPv6 already, and, respectively, it will also ensure the possibility of IPv6 connectivity for the servers operating at its Budapest Data Parks.

Several content providers known all over the world, among them Google, Facebook and Yahoo have announced a world-wide test for June 8, 2011, and it is the World IPv6 Day ( http://isoc.org/wp/worldipv6day/). The aim of the initiative is to encourage players of the information society to ready themselves as soon as possible for the transition from the Internet Protocol (IP) 4 network protocol (IPv4), which manages the use of the internet, to the IPv6 version. Due to the explosive growth of the number of internet users and the equipment they are using by early 2011 the 4.3 billion possible addresses available in IPv4 for using the internet have run out. One of the consequences of this may be that it is not going to be possible to connect any new equipment to the internet. The rollout of IPv6 is necessary as the further, long-term growth of the internet will only be enabled by the seemingly endless space to be available with the help of IPv6. In addition IPv6 will enable quicker, safer and simpler internet connectivity.

Those having announced the test and the content and internet providers joining the initiative will render on the World IPv6 Day the internet sites they provide (Google, Gmail, Google Map, YouTube, Facebook) available for internet users on IPv6 as well. According to expert opinions and preliminary tests it cannot be expected that massive problems would emerge in internet use.

Magyar Telekom considers the implementation of technological innovations to be its strategic target, therefore it is spearheading the region in IPv6 implementation and it is for this reason it attaches importance to joining the World IPv6 Day. In order to promote the technological change the company renders available for its hosting customers connectivity through the IPv6 address at its Budapest Data Parks as of June 1, 2011. With the help of this the servers operating here may also be granted an IPv6 address beside their prevailing IPv4 address.

In addition a part of Magyar Telekom's websites, www.telekom.hu, www.t-home.hu, www.t-mobile.hu, www.t-systems.hu, www.kfkizrt.hu, www.origo.hu and www.iwiw.hu will also become partially available on IPv6.

Magyar Telekom also expects that in the result of the successful preparation the changes announced are not going to cause problems for customers. The company's aim is to implement modifications in the network securing the continued rollout of IPv6 in such a manner that it should remain unnoticed for the company's customers. Customers interested in the topic may continue to use the IPv6 test service launched in 2009 on their ADSL and GPON access technologies provided their home network has been prepared for handling the IPv6 protocol. Corporate customers will have the chance to test and study the IPv6 technology in KFKI's show room.

About IPv4

The several million computers and network terminals (like printers, cameras, mobile tools, etc.) connected by the internet communicate using a unified language and, respectively, system which is called Internet Protocol, or, as abbreviated, IP. In this system network terminals (computers, printers, cameras, mobile tools, etc.) are identified with the help of a so-called IP address, which currently exists in its fourth generation, with its name generating herefrom: IPv4.

About IPv6

IPv6 is the next widespread version of IPv4. Instead of the 32-bit addresses used by IPv4, IPv6 uses 128 bits, which, in principle, renders 2 on 128th addresses available for distribution. In this way all equipment connected to the network may be furnished with a public, globally specific and possible to be transferred on the internet IPv6 address, due to which the use of the supplementary address translation facility (NAT-Network Address Translation) used in today's IPv4 networks by fire walls and routers will become redundant. Today this facility is necessary for the reason that, due to reasons of economy, every router is assigned only one IPv4 IP address then, with the help of a built-in function it assigns individual identifiers with a private IP address to each terminal of the branch network, which, however, is not specific on the internet.

This technological change in fact is not going to be a fast shift, but rather a gradual transition. The two protocols, IPv4 and IPv6 will probably live side by side for a long time to come. The benefit of the IPv6 technology is that it constitutes an endless row of addresses and communication will become safer, simpler and faster with its use. In addition, almost all equipment connected to the internet will possess its own IP address in the future. It will facilitate the implementation of new applications, for example, the activation of heating or the washing machine from a distance, with the help of our mobile phones.