IPv4 TO IPv6 MIGRATION STRATEGY – COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY OF KENYA

COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY OF KENYA TENDER JULY 2022 

PUBLIC NOTICE  

IPv4 TO IPv6 MIGRATION STRATEGY

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is the regulatory authority for the ICT industry in Ken- ya with responsibilities in telecommunications, cybersecurity, e-commerce, broadcasting, and postal/ courier services. CA is also responsible for managing the country’s numbering and frequency spectrum resources, administering the Universal Service Fund (USF) as well as protecting the interests of users of ICT services.

The Authority wishes to inform the public and all ICT stakeholders that it has developed an Internet Pro- tocol version 6 (IPv6) Migration Strategy as part of measures to protect consumers of ICT services from the potential negative impact of the delayed or non-migration from IPv4 to IPv6 networks.

Benefits of Migrating from IPv4 to IPv6

There are many benefits that will arise from the intended migration to IPv6. These include:

1. The IPv6 will create a sufficient IP address pool for use by persons, as well as machines, facilitating

the Internet of Things (IoTs) networks.

1. Efficient routing due to the reduced size of routing tables, elimination of the need for address translators in the network, and elimination of the need to perform error checking at various stages of data
2. Transparency in the network due to the fact that each node in the network has a distinct address, which also makes troubleshooting easier
3. Enhanced security as the IPv6 supports end-to-end IP security protocol mode
4. Efficient use of network bandwidth in the sending of data to multiple

Should Kenya delay in the full adoption of IPv6, then serious technological challenges may befall the country’s ICT sector, including a lack of access to the Internet for new devices that will not have IPv4 addresses due to exhaustion.

There is also a potential lag in technological advancements due to the inability of the country to leverage new frontiers like the Internet of Things (IoT) devices which would be IPv6 enabled and which would require access to the Internet.

Members of the public and ICT stakeholders can access the new strategy on the Authority’s website on:

https://www.ca.go.ke/about-us/statutes-regulations/sector-guidelines/

Director General

Communications Authority of Kenya

P.O. Box 14448 Nairobi 00800.

Mobile: 0703 042 000/0730 172 000

E-mail: info@ca.go.ke Website: www.ca.go.ke