Global Information Inc. would like to present a new market research report, "Analysis of the IPv4 to IPv6 Transition Testing Market" by Frost & Sullivan.
IPv4 has produced four billion internet protocol (IP) addresses since its introduction in 1984 and this pool has almost been depleted. The petering out of IPv4 addresses has created a strong demand for IPv6 addresses and bandwidth, generating significant opportunities for test equipment vendors to develop products that test IPv6 on 100 Gigabit Ethernet networks. New analysis from the report finds that the IPv4 to IPv6 transition testing market earned revenues of $38.9 million in 2011 and estimates this number will reach $73.9 million in 2018.
Although IPv6s penetration rate is growing steadily, it will be several years before it completely replaces IPv4. In the meantime, equipment manufacturers and service providers of IPv6 are actively involved in testing critical elements to make sure the technology works, such as conformance, interoperability, and performance.
"The need for security testing on the dual-stack protocol increases the demand for IPv6 test solutions," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Srihari Padmanabhan. "As with any other new technology, security testing and network management are important factors in this stage of the IPv6 lifecycle."
However, the lack of proven stability and awareness of IPv6 addresses is a concern among IT organizations and enterprises. They want to wait until IPv6 deployment becomes more common before migrating to it. This directly affects IPv6s adoption rate, which in turn reduces the demand for its test solutions.
The awareness issue is being addressed through initiatives such as the World IPv6 Day, which was held on for the first time on June 8, 2011. However, organizations do not know how many IPv4 addresses are still available. Regional registrars, service providers, and government organizations are proactively attempting to plug this gap in awareness through educational campaigns. This will go a long way in improving the uptake of IPv6s test equipment.
"With the increase in IPv6 deployment, service providers and enterprises will have to monitor the network to gain end-to-end visibility down to the individual networking devices," noted Padmanabhan. "As IPv6 penetrates deeper into the IP network, carrier investments are expected to drive test equipment growth."
