Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has initiated a move to adopt latest version of IP (internet protocol) addressing system that would allow the regulatory body along with other government agencies to monitor internet users more accurately, said BTRC officials.
Scarcity of IP addresses under the existing version of IP addressing system along with the gradual adaptation of new version of IP addressing system to end the IP address scarcity were among other reasons for the government’s move to implement the news IP addressing system, a BTRC official said.
To implement the new version of IP addressing system, the telecom regulator has already formed a study group headed by its director general Brigadier General Md Mustafa Kamal.
Two meetings of the committee were held on December 11 and 23 last year where representatives from mobile network operators, internet service providers and international internet gateway operators were present.
Identifying problems in adopting the new version was among other responsibilities of the working group.
A member of the committee told New Age on Wednesday that the committee had already asked the mobile phone operators and internet service providers to specify the potential problems in adopting the new version of IP addressing system.
The operators were also asked to mention specific time that would be required for implementing the latest version.
On the other hand, IIG operators are already capable in supporting the new version as it was made mandatory in their licensing guidelines.
The commission would not scrap the existing IP addressing system at once as many of the web sites and services are not capable to provide services with the new version of IP addresses.
The commission would run both the versions simultaneously and allow everyone to shift to the new system.
The new version, known as IPv6, which has been under development stage since 1995 as the existing version, known as IPv4, was in the final stage of exhausting due to rapid increase in internet use.
In July, 2017, the final definition of the protocol IPv6 was published, designed as a replacement for IPv4 which has been in use since 1982.
In Bangladesh, the country’s all the internet service providers including the mobile phone operators are using IPv4 for addressing purposes, a barrier for issuing dedicated IP address to each user.
Under the existing IP addressing system in Bangladesh, IP address of a devices, from which internet is used, may change within a certain period of time as majority of those are not dedicated IP address as the IPv4 addressing system has address limitation, said BTRC officials.
As per the 32 bits numbering system in IPv4, highest 429.5 crore IP addresses could be issued worldwide whereas the 128 bits IP addressing system IPv6 would allow issuing dedicated IP addresses for all the devices which would be used in future.
Issuance of dedicated IP address for each device, to be connected with internet, would allow law enforcing agencies detecting a particular internet user faster considering the times taken by them now.
The telecom regulator has already asked all the MNOs and ISPs to submit by January 28, 2019 individual roadmap in implementing IPv6.
Source: http://www.newagebd.net/article/62178/btrc-to-adopt-new-ip-addressing-system