NBN Co. to add IPv6 support for Layer 3 protocols

NBN Co. has added IPv6 support for Layer 3 protocols to its laundry list of priorities for its National Broadband Network (NBN).

This is a bit of a change in direction for NBN Co. because the NBN is being built as a Layer 2 network that retail service providers will use to provide data services to businesses and consumer customers. However, NBN Co. is going to augment its service repertoire with a suite of Layer 3 services, including multicast, SIP-based voice service and quality of service (QoS).

Beginning in 2012, NBN Co. plans to offer "preliminary support" for IPv6 on its QoS offering, which would allow service providers to prioritize and identify user traffic into four typical categories: telephony, video, data and basic Web browsing.

NBN plans to use a lightweight DHCP relay agent, a DHCPv6 feature that can identify a service provider's subscribers via IP over Ethernet starting in April 2012.

For more:
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