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Bridgetown, BARBADOS. Network engineers, regulators, policy makers, and Internet community decision makers from around the Caribbean attended back-to-back events in Bridgetown, Barbados this week to discuss Internet Protocol (IP) addressing issues and related policy matters. The meetings were hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN).
Bridgetown, BARBADOS
Network engineers, regulators, policy makers, and Internet community decision makers from around the Caribbean attended back-to-back events in Bridgetown, Barbados this week to discuss Internet Protocol (IP) addressing issues and related policy matters. The meetings were hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN).
On Tuesday, 10 February, the CTU and ARIN held a workshop on understanding the issues surrounding IPv4 address depletion and IPv6 adoption. Representatives from various industries across the Caribbean gathered to discuss adoption plans, policy implications, and roles for regulators, policy makers, and other stakeholders.
IP addresses are the unique numbers computers and other electronic devices use to identify themselves and pass information over the Internet. With only 13% of the current version of IP addresses, called IPv4, remaining, the global Internet community is taking urgent action to ensure continued access to essential network services by adopting a newer version called IPv6. This new version will provide a much, much larger pool of IP addresses to last well into the future.
Engineers estimate that IPv4 will only be available for two to three more years. At that point, unless ISPs embrace IPv6, consumers may face disruptions in their access to critical Internet services. The CTU and ARIN are at the forefront of raising awareness and offering training and information relevant to preparing the Caribbean region to deal with this important issue.
“We are greatly encouraged by the wide representation and high level of participation and interest demonstrated by the attendees throughout the meeting. These issues are closely linked to development in the region and we look forward to conducting similar sessions in other Caribbean countries,” said Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General of the CTU.
On Wednesday, 11 February, at the ARIN Caribbean Sector Meeting, participants discussed several pending policy proposals that dictate how ISPs, universities, and organizations get IP address space from ARIN. The Internet community in the ARIN region, which includes several Caribbean countries, determines how IP addresses are allocated. Feedback from this meeting goes directly into ARIN’s bottom-up policy development process.
“We are very happy with the amount of participation we’ve had this week and the views we’ve heard here are of special value to the entire ARIN community. We look forward to more meetings in the Caribbean and continued participation from local members and stakeholders,” said Scott Bradner, Treasurer and member of the ARIN Board of Trustees.
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About The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
The CTU is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to facilitating the development of the telecommunications sector in the Caribbean. Its mission is to create an environment in partnership with members to optimize returns from ICT resources for the benefit of all stakeholders.
About the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
ARIN is a nonprofit corporation that provides services related to the provision of Internet number resources – IPv4, IPv6, and Autonomous System numbers – in its service region, which includes Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States.
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