NTT Communications, a Japanese media company, is launching an IPv6 connectivity service, the latest version of the Internet Protocol, priced at $2.50 per month.
Compared to IPv4, the current standard globally, IPv6 offers significant advantages such as a sufficiently large address space, allowing every electronic device to register a permanent address. There are also notable improvements in service quality and security.
To use the service, customers must install a specific access program. This software will maintain and connect IPv6 through IPv4 to a linked server. Windows Vista, Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, will also support this new generation protocol.
NTT will provide two sets of IPv6 addresses: one fixed set for permanent address registration for a central server, allowing it to be accessed from anywhere on the network, and another set for temporary addresses.
Sony’s LocationFree TV product connects to a TV antenna and video recorder to transmit programs to users outside a home via the Internet. However, the system must be maintained through a Sony server for location purposes. If it switches to IPv6, its Internet address will never change.
Users will still need to equip a central computer to connect devices with IPv6, as most products currently do not support the protocol. However, upcoming hardware and routers will soon change that. An integrated IPv6 device already available in Japan is the network camera from Matsushita (Panasonic).
For more information about NTT’s IPv6 service, visit http://ipv6style.jp.
