IGF 2019 WS #421 IPv6: Why should I care?

Relevance to Theme: Currently, the amount of free IPv4 public addresses that can be allocated to machines are depleting. According to some studies made by Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), it is expected that in less than 5 years there will be no more IPv4 public addresses to be assigned. Some measurements made by relevant Internet companies such as Google, Akamai and Cisco, indicates that only more than a quarter of the Internet traffic is running on IPv6. For more than 30 years the Internet has used IPv4 and now it is time to IPv4 be replaced by its successor IPv6. Then, the IPv6 deployment is a relevant issue to a successful digital inclusion, mainly in the developing countries and the Global South.

Additionally, some studies claim that almost half of the global population has Internet access. This means that the other half of the world is still waiting to be included in this Internet ecosystem. This is worrisome as Internet access should be a catalyst for the enjoyment of human rights, most notably, the right to freedom of expression, according to the United Nations (UN). However is it really possible to guarantee Internet access to everyone with today's infrastructure?

The goal of this tutorial is to raise awareness of Internet users to the importance of IPv6 for successful digital inclusion. We will focus on a technical issue that we are facing right now which jeopardizes the digital inclusion of half of the world. If we do not raise awareness to this topic now, we might face serious problems regarding their digital inclusion in the near future.

Relevance to Internet Governance: According to the UN, the Internet is a catalyst for the enjoyment of human rights, most notably, the right to freedom of expression. This means that digital inclusion should focus on guaranteeing Internet access to those who do not have it yet, especially in developing countries.

Governments play a fundamental role in encouraging businesses to include a social dimension to their activities. In some regions far from the developed centers it is difficult to an Internet service provider to build Internet infrastructure. It is too expensive and usually it is only possible with the help of the government.

Private sector is the core of the Internet, as the majority of Autonomous System that composes the Internet are from this stakeholder group. Also, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have an essential role because they are responsible for providing Internet connection in people's homes.

Civil society has perhaps the most important role, as digital inclusion refers directly to people. This stakeholder group defends human rights and how to empower people through the use of the Internet. One of the ways of doing that is the development of community networks, which can provide Internet access in distant areas. These networks are being implemented with the help of the technical community, which are involved in promoting training courses to empower people with knowledge.