The IPv6 Transition Programme is a national effort spearheaded by IDA to address the issue of IPv4 exhaustion and to facilitate the smooth transition of the Singapore Infocomm ecosystem to IPv6. The programme also promotes readiness and adoption of IPv6 in the local industry through a series of projects.
This series of articles highlights local companies which have made the transition to IPv6 as part of the programme.
Leading Property Portal Plans Ahead by Building IPv6 Network
Top property website PropertyGuru is laying the foundation to enhance its accessibility and grow its services in the future by deploying its IPv6 network now. With IPv4 addresses running out, Jani Rautiainen PropertyGuru's co-founder and Managing Director, felt the need for the company to migrate to IPv6.
An online marketplace for real estate, the site hosts over 500,000 property listings from about 24,000 agents. In addition, it provides services such as property valuation tools and virtual tours of properties for sale.
PropertyGuru's Singapore portal alone receives about 30 million page views a month, with about 4 million unique views. The site received over 57.6 million visitors in 2012 alone. Their staff has grown to 300 people since they started in 2006, with a regional property network serving four countries.
Laying the Lines for Future Growth
As IPv4 addresses deplete, any remaining addresses are fast becoming scarce. With large fees required to secure an IPv4 address, a more cost-effective measure is required.
Mr Rautiainen made the decision to ensure the business continuity of PropertyGuru's website after attending seminars, understanding the impact of IPv4 address depletion as well as the potential uses for IPv6.
"Some of the newer networks are more IPv6-oriented, mobile networks especially," said Mr Rautiainen. "We wanted to learn and make sure that when more people started using IPv6, we would be able to serve them better."
Pioneering Challenges
The initial set up with a five-man team to oversee the transition took about five months to complete. Overseen by Mr Rautiainen, this process included putting up the infrastructure, testing the systems involved and checking applications in IPv6.
According to Mr Rautiainen, the main issue encountered during the transition was PropertyGuru's hosting services, as not all of them were IPv6-enabled. Some traffic had to be re-routed to enable IPv6 on its network.
"There's still not enough focus on IPv6 - although most hosting companies support it - as not enough businesses are on board yet," said Mr Rautiainen. However, he feels this might change in the future as more people get on board.
Investing Early to Stay Ahead
Last December, PropertyGuru observed 25 GB of IPv6 traffic being generated by more than 6,000 unique visitors in just one month. This indicates rising demand for content over IPv6 and content providers should prepare themselves early.
Although adoption is still in its early stages, Mr Rautiainen is looking forward to greater IPv6 adoption. He foresees the emergence of new technologies that will enhance online services for a growing market.
Designed to work more efficiently over mobile networks than its predecessor, IPv6 provides a better platform for the workforce to access real-time information on the move. Mr Rautiainen said: "There is potential for building applications around IPv6 and to do more with it, such as two-way communication, or providing real-time market information to agents or consumers and we're definitely thinking about it."
Migrating to IPv6 early can be a beneficial learning experience for companies. Organisations can take the necessary time to plan, implement and fine-tune their networks, rather than scramble to react and set up new networks when the effects of IPv4 exhaustion kick in. Other than the incentive in having more time for planning, early adopters will gain deeper understanding of IPv6 than companies who have not yet embarked on the transition.
To help companies make the transition, IDA has developed an
IPv6 Transition Programme
that offers a wide range of information and resources. The IPv6 Market Place, for example, provides organisations with information on IPv6-ready products, consultancy and training services that are available in Singapore.