*******************************
Following is a question by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Legislative Council today (March 14):
Question:
To tackle the problem of shortage of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, the relevant international standards organisation advocated in 1994 that the IP adopted for Internet infrastructure be migrated from version 4 to version 6 (IPv6). As the Government has indicated, in the public consultation document issued for formulating the 2007 Digital 21 Strategy, that it would take the lead in migrating to IPv6 and adopt the new protocol in its internal network by the end of 2008, will the Government inform this Council whether it has:
(a) devised a work plan in this respect, such as setting up a coordination task force, establishing a research and development centre to support the development of products and services compatible with IPv6; if it has, of the details, timetable and public expenditure involved; and
(b) discussed and exchanged views with the local industries (e.g. Internet service providers) or the relevant organisations in other places, in particular those of the Mainland, on issues of technological development and standards relating to IPv6; if it has, of the form and timetable of such contacts, the issues discussed as well as the consensus reached?
Reply:
Madam President,
With the development of a wide variety of services on the Internet, the address space supported by the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) currently deployed on the Internet starts to experience a shortage, and will be exhausted in the long run. Since the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) can support a much bigger address space, it will provide a solution to enable the sustainable growth of the Internet. As the transition between different versions of Internet Protocol involves global collaboration, it is expected that the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols will co-exist for a certain period of time. The Government, through participation in international organisations, is monitoring global developments.
Regarding the questions raised by the Hon Sin Chung-kai, my reply is as follows:
(a) The Government has plans to adopt the IPv6 protocol in its internal network, and to promote the awareness of the community on the adoption of the IPv6 protocol.
With the maturity and availability of networking devices and operating system software for personal computers supporting IPv6, the Government is planning to introduce IPv6 supported backbone network capability to its internal network as part of its network equipment renewal exercise, which should be completed in 2008. To promote the awareness of the community on the IPv6 protocol and to prepare for the transition, the Government has earmarked $2 million in 2007/08 for setting up a knowledge portal on the Internet for public access. The Government has also supported academic research in IPv6 back in 2003 by providing funding for setting up an IPv6 connection between the Hong Kong Academic and Research Network (HARNET) and North America. We will work closely with industry players to review the situation and to study the need to enhance our work programmes in this area, including considering the need for setting up a coordination task force to encourage the equipment and services suppliers to develop more products supporting the IPv6 protocol.
(b) The local Internet infrastructure providers have been offering facilities and services that support IPv6 progressively. For example, the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) started to operate its IPv6 exchange (HK6IX) in 2004. In 2006, the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) started to offer IPv6 domain name services. In addition, the Hong Kong Cyberport is providing its tenants with an IPv6-based network infrastructure within its campus, which serves as a research and development platform as well as a conduit for connection to IPv6 networks outside Hong Kong.
IPv6 relates closely related to the Next-generation Internet and the latter has been included as one of the cooperation areas for the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Cooperation in Informatisation established under the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference. This enables both sides to jointly discuss and exchange views on the development of IPv6 and issues concerning the relevant standards. A forum was first held last year. The forum was attended by 3 telecommunications operators and 8 organisations from the academic and industry sectors of the Hong Kong side, as well as 4 telecommunications operators and 6 organisations from the academic and the industry sectors of the Guangdong side. This year's forum is currently under planning.
Furthermore, the Government, through participation in the Governmental Advisory Committee under the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and in the Telecommunications and Information Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), has access to first hand information on the development of IPv4 and IPv6 globally.
Ends/Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:58
NNNN
