IPv6 support on Virgin media

IPv6 is definitely not limited to any local network. IPv6 is "already" (after only 15 years put forward as an Internet standard) in use by 1 to 6% of the global Internet, depending on how you measure it (data traffic, source address of website requests or BGP table advertisements). Check this article:

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/as-much-as-one-percent-of-the-internet-is-now-using-ipv6.ars

To name two big services you can right now access natively with IPv6: Google and YouTube. There are thousands more websites that are already IPv6 enabled, all over the world. Just search for them. In the UK, there doesn't seem to be that many ( http://www.ipv6.org.uk , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6_deployment ) , but it would change radically if just one big provider like BT or Virgin Media started offering it to residential customers.  As for the smaller providers, it's not just AAISP to offer it in the UK, there are a few others too.  This search tool allows you to check the UK providers offering IPv6:

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/search/package/advanced.html

In the USA, Comcast and Verizon have already started trials of IPv6 with residential customers. They are very large providers. ( http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Begins-Residential-IPv6-FiOS-Test-107761 , http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.phpr/3825696/Comcast+Embraces+IPv6.htm )

Obviously, in the transition period you can use both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously, it's not a matter of choosing one over the other.

Personally, what I look forward to gain from IPv6 is to eventually get rid of NAT completely and have plenty of public IP addresses to each household (hundreds, thousands), one for each and every Interned-enabled device, free of charge (many ISPs currently charge for blocks of IPv4 addresses). This would enable so many P2P applications -- not just file sharing, but mainly voice/video communications and all sorts of push/pull notifications -- that currently struggle to become popular because of the costs of getting around NAT. (Most of the big and popular comms services, say Skype, spend a lot of money on centralised server farms just because direct P2P comms are blocked by NAT. Yes, there are ways around NAT, but they are mostly non-standard and often require complex router port forwarding configurations that are beyond most users' comprehension, time or interest.) (Also: there are very many articles on how to achieve the private-network security which comes as a side effect of NAT while using public IPv6 addresses, for instance: http://www.deepdarc.com/2010/02/06/ipv6-security/ )

First of all lets set the record straight with regards to IPv6. All customers with a standard knowledge of the Internet, are aware IPv4 is due to be phased out but not completely and is being replaced with IPv6. Some customers, granted not all of them... They tend to think changing over from IPv4 to IPv6 is basically a simple and straightforward process. When in fact, it's more complexed than you think. I'm not going to bore users to death with the facts because you are all intelligent enough to understand the difference between IPv4 and IPv6.

To set the record straight and stop some customers granted not all... With handbags at the ready...? World IPv6 is due for changeover on June 8th 2011, as you can appreciate and understand this is one of the biggest changes to the Internet since the birth of the Internet. Google and Facebook are committed and IPv6 will run on their main website for a period of 24 hours. Will IPv4 be phased out completely on the change over...? No it will not but will be phased out eventually, lets put this into perspective for a moment.

The modern Internet is built around IPv4 and provides 4.3 million addresses which is running out, and it's running out faster than first anticipated. Within the next 2 years. When I say run out, I basically mean it will run dry in the next two years. Some of you may be thinking "Hang on a moment... 2 years is miles away no problem plenty of time to make changes."

No ISP is going to commit and state categorically they are going to make changes, when it changes over they will make the necessary changes and inform their customers on how, what and when this will affect their clientèle. When it comes it will be changed, until then they will continue to state the normal basic answer.

"We do not have any plans at the moment, as this is a new technology it has to be tested before any changes are made. We will inform our customers when the time comes." 

DO NOT Panic IPv4 will not be shut off on June 8th 2011, some people are saying it's going to turned off and millions of people will have no Internet access. IPv4 will be phased out gradually over a two year period until the well dries up completely.

:smileywink: Does this answer your questions

Thankfully my Cable/Router manufactures have updated their firmware to support IPv6 as not all manufactures are going to update their firmware and will force customers buy new Cable/Routers which I just think is just being inane and forcing customers to purchase a new Cable/Router