Net guru predicts IPv6 future lies in mobile web

He claimed wireless infrastructure will need the vastly expanded supply of internet addresses IPv6 offers, in addition to improved quality of voiceover IP and enhanced security.

Speaking exclusively to silicon.com, Cerf said the current protocol is not suitable for wireless. "WAP is not the best way of implementing things when you have to translate from the wireless protocol to the current IPv4 with a limited number of gateways. We will see 3G networks enabling IPv6 because increased address space will allow access thorough more gateways as well as support to the overall wireless infrastructure."

Latif Ladid, president of the IPv6 Forum, agreed with Cerf. He said: "IPv6 will enable the new internet tidal wave, with a blend of features to cater for next-generation applications. These wireless applications will need enough IP address space for six billion people and the billions of devices to become 'always on'."

The specifications for IPv6 have been under development with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for some time and include a considerable number of improvements on the previous version, IPv4. One of the most obvious is that IP addresses are lengthened from 32bits to 128bits, ending fears of an impending shortage of network addresses.

Asko Rasanen, IPv6 development director at Nokia, said the current version, dating back to the seventies, is difficult to use in the mobile internet environment. "IPv6 will provide a solid foundation for mobile networks. It is more secure and it can also distinguish lower and higher priority traffic, which is essential for mobile internet," he said.

IPv6 is currently being tested by a number of ISPs as well as network equipment vendors. It is eventually expected to replace IPv4, with the two coexisting for a number of years.