All over national boundaries,one of the big buzzes now in IT policy is the the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) which according to Wikipedia is:
a version of the Internet Protocol (IP) that is designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The Internet operates by transferring data in small packets that are independently routed across networks as specified by an international communications protocol known as the Internet Protocol. Each data packet contains two numeric addresses that are the packet’s origin and destination devices. Since 1981, IPv4 has been the publicly used version of the Internet Protocol, and it is currently the foundation for most Internet communications. The growth of the Internet has mandated a need for more addresses than is possible with IPv4. IPv6 allows for vastly more addresses.
As many nations begin this transition from IPv4 to IPv6, Nigeria must not wait. As Vanguard reports, its seems that Nigeria has not developed a strategy right now.
The NITDA boss who lamented heavy government investment on IPv4 said that Nigeria needs to do a study on the adoption of IPv6, decide the size and traffic, know its current development, type of regulation to set up and raise the awareness level if Nigerians truly want to join the rest of the world in switching to the new internet order.
Since it is very obvious that no plan exists, now is the time to use the universities to develop one. The challenge we face is that we have the resources to examine some of these problems, yet, we hardly get those involved.
NITDA and federal government must fund some universities to assist to develop a roadmap on IPv6. And if the local schools are capable, they can get external consultants to help them. But we must not make the mistake of implementing anything without a blueprint.
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