ICANN Ratifies Global Policy for Allocation of IPv6 Addresses

September 19, 2006; 04:02 AM

At its September 7, 2006 Meeting the Board of ICANN ratified a global policy for the allocation of IPv6 addresses by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to Regional Internet Registries.

IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol (IP) addressing scheme. Internet protocol addresses are the unique numerical identifiers used to identify each computer on the Internet, so that Internet data is transmitted to the correct destination. The introduction of IPv6 has greatly expanded the number of IP addresses available for the world to use.

"This is an outcome which provides certainty to Internet Registries and their customers who include Internet Service Providers and users" said Dr Paul Twomey, President and CEO of ICANN.

"It addresses concerns about the method for future allocations of Internet address space and ensures projected demand can be met for many years to come", he said.

ICANN is responsible for IANA, which coordinates the world-wide IP address space.

"This was developed through the ICANN community's bottom up consensus approach which saw IPV6 adopted as a policy development process. That means ICANN's stakeholders and constituencies have shaped this policy from day one" Dr Twomey said.

"On behalf of the Board I congratulate all those that worked for this outcome" he said.

Proposed Global Policy for Allocation of IPv6 Address Space -
http://www.icann.org/policies/proposed-ipv6-policy-14jul06.htm

ICANN is a non-profit organisation responsible for coordinating the Internet's systems of unique identifiers, including the systems of domain names and numeric addresses that are used to reach computers on the Internet. ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of these unique identifier systems, which are vital to the Internet' operation. In addition, ICANN coordinates policy development related to these technical functions through its effective bottom-up consensus model.

Media Contacts: International: Andrew Robertson, Edelman (London) Ph: +44 7921 588 770, E: [email protected] Tanzanica King, ICANN (USA) Ph: +1 310 301 5804, E: [email protected]