Take this: tech is the future, that future is hovering close to the present, it is wow, and India is closing in on it.

 

Now, take that as the assurance by the government.

 

Discussing the way forward, J Satyanarayana, secretary, department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) said the government is planning to create new technologies to create infrastructure as a service. “It will be a plug-and-play service — plug it in and you are good to go,” he said.

 

Addressing a session on ‘critical internet resources focussed on IPv6 and the way forward’, Satyanarayana said, “We are designing Network Infrastructure 2.0 for new technologies of the future.”

 

He said 7,000 websites were to migrate to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) by December but the plan could not meet the deadline due to compliance issues. He also stressed the need for training and capacity building for better internet services in future. “DeitY will work in close cooperation with the telecom department to train people for IPv6,” he said.

 

Emphasising that India is still “trapped in the world of IPv4”, R Chandrashekar, secretary (IT), department of telecommunications (DoT), said, “The only salvation is IPv6. We need to be prepared from now, so that we are prepared when the time comes to make the switch.”

 

The new internet protocol version 6 will replace the version 4 protocol in use at present. It is seen as the platform on which all future applications will be built on the internet — it will be more robust and secure, and will give a better user experience.

 

According to Chandrashekar, the DoT is trying to migrate to IPv6 in a timely fashion for better internet services in future. “The country has an ambitious plan and the third revolution in telecom is about to come,” he said.

 

The focus of this third revolution would be broadband, according to Chandrashekar. He said broadband comprises not just communication but also involves bringing in significant change in the socio-economic landscape in areas of health, governance and education.

 

“IPv6 will be a big part of that revolution and a big part of the new telecom policy 2012,” he said. “There is going to be an IPv6 innovation centre as part of the telecom policy, which has been planned with a vision to provide end-to-end IPv6 solutions for all.”

 

According to RM Agrawal, DDG (NT), DoT, draft guidelines for the transition to IPv6 will be forwarded to the government by December 17 and the policy guidelines will be made public in January 2013.

 

On the occasion, Chandrashekar announced different deadlines for transition to IPV6 by various industry verticals. For instance, equipment manufacturers will have to manufacture IPv6-enabled equipment such as data cards, dongles and any other equipment that can support data speed of above 2.5 GB by June 2014. All financial institutions will make the leap from mid 2013, while new applications providers will have to adopt IPv6 by 2014.

 

The total transition to IPv6 will take place no later than 2017, Chandrashekar said.