According to report by Global Industry Analysts, the global market for IPv6 capable devices is projected to reach 18.1 billion units by 2018, primarily driven by steady migration to the IPv6 protocol against a backdrop of rapidly depleting IPv4 addresses. Exponential growth in the mobile wireless communication sector is also helping spur growth by bringing in newer devices to access Internet.
The rapid growth in broadband Internet penetration is boosting the requirement for IP addresses, as larger number of systems hooked onto the Internet results in larger number of packets of data to be transferred and larger number of addresses to tag participating originating hosts and target hosts. With forecasts estimating the number of devices connected to IP networks to reach over three times the size of the global population in the future, IPv4 is reaching its capacity limit to address additional devices globally. Against this backdrop, the migration to IPv6 is poised to gain momentum as the Internet expands necessitating upgrade of its infrastructure with the most primary being expanding of the IP address pool.
With the transition to IPv6 gaining traction in the marketplace as all players get their act together to expand the potential of existing IP networks, the focus is currently on developing IPv6 compatible equipment and software. As a preliminary step towards complete IP transition from IPv4 to IPv6, most of the new networking equipment and computing devices in the marketplace need to be equipped to be IPv6 capable. This is because the shift from IPv4 to IPv6 will demand application conversion at service level and a new system on network level. At service level, software for existing applications, email services and websites needs to be replaced, while at network level, new equipment such as switches, routers, and host servers should be implemented and customized.
Several factors are responsible for driving the interest in IPv6-ready products, the most important being the importance of the ICT infrastructure in nurturing business competitiveness and in encouraging economic and social development and growth. Lack of adequate preparedness to tackle the challenges posed by depleting IPv4 addresses will weaken the IT infrastructure, significantly decrease companies’ competitiveness in the international market, and reduce the ICT industry’s technological knowledge edge. A well-adapted Internet infrastructure is critical in ensuring both business continuity and in sharpening competitive advantages. Also the success of ICT depends on the level of systems interoperability allowed by networks, and IPv6 in this regard is optimally engineered to drive the fabled convergence. The new market and business opportunities created as a result of IPv6 integration and the risk of reduced access to IT infrastructure as a result of non-conformance to IPv6 are therefore key compelling factors to induce increased IPv6 investments.
Europe represents the largest regional market with the highest number of Ipv6 capable devices. Asia Pacific represents one of the fastest growing regional markets with a projected CAGR of 47.3% over the analysis period. By segment, IPv6 capable mobile devices represents the largest market projected to wax at a CAGR of 43.4% over the analysis period.
Major players in the global marketplace include Alcatel-Lucent SA, Apple, Cisco Systems, IBM, Linux, MatrixStream Technologies, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and Sumitomo Electric Industries, among others.
The research report titled “Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6): A Global Strategic Business Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of market trends, issues, drivers, company profiles, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic industry activities. The report provides market estimates and projections for IPv6 capable devices in million units for major geographic markets including the US, Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Poland, The Netherlands, and Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific, Middle & Africa, and Latin America. Market segments analyzed include IPv6 Capable Fixed Devices and IPv6 Capable Mobile Devices.
