[AfriNIC-rpd] IPV6 Adoption

[Rob Hunter]

Hi

<snip>
The main problem in SA is - as Colin pointed out - the first tier  
primary networks (ie IS/Telkom/Verizon/etc) do not really care about  
this yet. I know because I've been asking our account manager - and  
others - for v6 for more than 4 years.  Without success.
</snip>

I totally disagree with you there. My disagreement is based on past
employment at UUNET (now VB). We were spending cold hard cash on
equipment for it then already, and were donating transit to try and make
it easier for others to work on it too. And I was told by someone there
that this equipment has since been upgraded to support the growth. Keep
in mind that it was and still is an experimental service. If you're not
paying them for it, there's only so much resource they'll throw at it.
The resources they did throw at it were technical, and not commercial.

<snip>
I am not convinced that more marketing, training encouragement is  
going to work as well as personalization.
</snip>

I totally agree with you there, but I don't think it's them that have to
be persuaded. It's their customers. When I was trying to foster growth,
I'd nag the likes of TENET constantly to nag their upstream (Saix). That
seems to have kina worked. I don't see providers putting much more
effort into it until they actually see some demand. I got quite
frustrated when I did all the UUNET SA IPv6 stuff, spent many hours
building a network (even if it was messy with tunnels) but the only
traffic I could ever see in the form of graphs, was to FreeBSD mirrors.
"If you build it they will come" just isn't working for IPv6. What we
need is content.

<snip>
Does anyone still believe is face to face? Will it help if Adiel had a  
private meeting with the Executive Directors / CEOs at Verizon/Telkom/ 
IS?
</snip>

Perhaps from an educational standpoint yes. If you tell them their
business is in danger in a few years time, while I don't see them
running from the room screaming, they might start enquiring as to who's
doing what. I don't see that kind of meeting doing much more than that.

Regards

--Rob


Note
Information about Neotel directors and registration number is available at http://www.neotel.co.za/neotel/view/neotel/en/page5052
A disclaimer relating to the above email is available at http://www.neotel.co.za/neotel/view/neotel/en/page5051