CANARIE extends next-generation Internet Protocol

CANARIE to offer IPv6 global connectivity to ensure Canadian innovators in industry, education and government benefit from leading-edge advanced network capabilities

OTTAWA, May 11 /CNW Telbec/ - The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is predicting that Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses, which have been used to connect computers and other devices to the Internet, will run out by 2012. This is due to the proliferation of devices -- cell phones, cars, appliances, watches -- that require an IP address.

CANARIE is improving support for the IPv6 protocol, where the addressing capacity will be several orders of magnitude greater since it uses 128 bits to assign IP addresses, rather than the 32 bits available with IPv4. However the benefits to CANARIE's key stakeholders move far beyond the almost infinite addressing capacity enabled through IPv6.

"Organizations like RIM will benefit from working with CANARIE's native IPv6 network to test our devices as well as build up our expertise and understanding of this important new technology," observes Mark Pecen, Vice President Advanced Technology at Research In Motion.

"CANARIE is proud to show leadership in Canada and help facilitate this nation's transition to IPv6," notes Jim Roche, President and CEO of CANARIE. "We look forward to working with researchers and industry members to help foster this expertise in Canada."

CANARIE will be establishing IPv6 peering with a number of ISPs, providing full IPv6 connectivity to its members and connected institutions. Organizations wishing to connect to CANARIE using IPv6 connectivity should investigate CANARIE's Infrastructure Extension Program Call for Proposals materials at www.canarie.ca.

    
    About CANARIE:
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CANARIE Inc. is Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network. Established in 1993, CANARIE manages an ultra high-speed network, hundreds of times faster than the internet, which facilitates leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. More than 39,000 researchers at nearly 200 Canadian universities and colleges use the CANARIE Network, as well as researchers at institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories throughout the country. The CANARIE Network enables researchers to share and analyze massive amounts of data, which can lead to ground-breaking scientific discoveries. CANARIE's network, programs, and strategic partnerships with 12 regional networks in Canada, and 100 international networks in more than 80 countries, stimulate research that delivers economic, social, and cultural benefits to Canadians.

CANARIE is a non-profit corporation supported by membership fees, with major funding of its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada. For additional information, please visit: www.canarie.ca.

For further information: Kathryn Anthonisen, Director of Communications, CANARIE, [phone], [email protected]