Have you been hearing much about new deployments of IPv6 lately? Some people I talk to say things have gone a bit silent. I think that is a noteworthy observation that could mean different things depending on your point of view.

I will agree that I have seen fewer media articles about the topic than I did around the time of World IPv6 Launch in the middle of last year. But I am not sure that is a negative indicator of where we are as an industry with IPv6 deployment. It could mean something quite different. I think for many, it simply means IPv6 has become the new normal, and there is data to help back that up.

Many of the organizations that helped with measurements for World IPv6 Launch last year have continued to collect and report data. A look at the measurements page reveals some impressive information. Many of the participating networks are now showing over 10% of their traffic as IPv6. Some are even showing at or above the 50% mark. I suspect for these networks and the participating content companies, IPv6 truly *is* the new normal.

As an industry, we still have quite a bit of work to do, however. There are still thousands of networks that need to deploy IPv6, and this work becomes increasingly urgent as Regional Internet Registries continue to deplete their free pools of IPv4 address space. Both the APNIC and RIPE NCC regions have reached their final remaining /8 blocks, and the other registries will soon be in the same situation. As each day passes, the need for normalizing IPv6 networking becomes more critical.

Here at the Internet Society Deploy360 Programme, we are committed to growing our resources to help those who will soon deploy IPv6 for the first time. You can help, too. If you would like to contribute deployment related education content or a case study to Deploy360, please contact us. You can also help by breaking the “IPv6 radio silence” I have been hearing about lately. Continuing to spread the word about IPv6 is as important now as it has ever been.

The future Internet is currently under construction by you. Build it well. Deploy IPv6.