The Bahrain Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in coordination with the RIPE NCC (Réseaux IP European – Network Coordination Center) held a meeting with Internet service providers and telecom operators in the country at its headquarters to discuss plans and key issues regarding the deployment of IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6). International efforts are underway to shift from the current IPv4 to the new iteration IPv6 to manage the growth of Internet.
The meeting was organised by the RIPE NCC and TRA Bahrain, bringing together the Bahraini telecommunications providers to discuss the need for a roadmap or plan for Bahrain’s deployment strategy of IPv6. They identified some key issues such as interconnectivity and the possibility of implementing IPv6 locally among operators to keep traffic within the country.
The meeting included a discussion about granting enterprise network requests for IPv6 connectivity and identified the key technical obstacles that hinder the rollout of the service. Participants resolved to recommend solutions to the issue in a separate one-on-one meeting to be held in mid-May.
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Isa bin Daij Al-Khalifa, Manager, Information & Communication Technology, TRA Bahrain, said: “This initiative is integrated into Bahrain’s development agenda to advance the national telecommunications infrastructure on par with regional and global standards. This meeting is an excellent venue to address key issues and facilitate efforts to find solutions. We laud the efforts of the RIPE NCC to bring together the various sector players to address key common goals on advancing Internet connectivity, particularly on this occasion where we addressed the transition to IPv6”.
Paul Rendek, Director of External Relations, RIPE NCC, noted: “Internet connectivity has become an integral aspect of sustainable development in all countries and has now become part of the development agendas of almost all nations. This meeting aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss the current challenges and opportunities to expedite telecommunications development in Bahrain, particularly the best ways to implement IPv6 in the country. This meeting affirms the strong RIPE NCC commitments towards our members by supporting them with expertise and latest innovation”.
