Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) with the last top level (/8) block of free IPv4 addresses assigned in February 2011.
The Internet's growth has created a need for more addresses than IPv4 is capable of. IPv6 allows for vastly more numerical addresses (approximately 340 undecillion or 3.4×10 to the power of 38 addresses).
Not only does this expansion allow for many more devices and users on the internet as well as extra flexibility in allocating addresses and efficiency for routing traffic and eliminates the primary need for network address translation (NAT) which gained widespread deployment as an effort to alleviate IPv4 address exhaustion.
What does this mean for VoIP customers?
Many SIP trunk installs use NAT (Network Address Translation), which has become a standard, indispensable feature in routers for home and small-office Internet connections. Most systems using NAT do so in order to enable multiple hosts on a private network to access the internet using a single public IP address.
Steve Bieniek, VoIP Unlimited Sales Director says, “Moving to IPv6 is another example of VoIP Unlimited’s capability to be at the forefront of technology. Customers won’t notice any difference or have to change any of their network settings.
Once VoIP Hardware vendors have made their devices compatible IPv6 will assist with the removal of NAT from the SIP installs which in turn should make VoIP implementations easier, with less firewall re-configuration required.”