TM PROACTIVE IN GEARING UP MALAYSIA FOR IPv6 ADOPTION

TM New Generation Network ready since 2011; Major Government agencies and key enterprise customers already on IPv6 ready platform

As part of its relentless commitment to business continuity and providing seamless Internet experience to customers, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), the nation’s leading New Generation Network communications provider and Malaysia’s Broadband Champion is stepping-up efforts to fast-track Malaysia for the adoption of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) in view of the imminent global depletion of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) Internet addresses, to ensure that its customers’ experience are not compromised.

The move is in line with global trends and mirrors the Ministry of Information Communication and Culture’s direction for the Malaysian ICT industry. The Company is among the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Malaysia to have implemented its network transition towards an IPv6-ready platform. TM has embarked on this IPv6 journey since 2007 and has been IPv6 compliant since 2008.

Giorgio Migliarina, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, TM said:, “Education will be one of our key initiatives as it is important to not only educate IT managers, but everyone in the business about IPv6 as it could affect many aspects of a company. There are many misconceptions surrounding IPv6 and we want to provide clarity and guidance on the subject. We need to create awareness amongst the public that the ever-expanding Internet will require more IP addresses to cater for the connected machines and if your machine only has IPv4 connection, you will run the risk of not being able to talk to the other parts of the Internet, nor access IPv6 websites and its applications. Therefore, in order to ensure business continuity and future growth, it is particularly vital for businesses to comply with IPv6 for their servers and networks so they will not miss out on IPv6 enabled services. It is inevitable that every device connected to the Internet must support the new standard or it may require certain translation protocols to run IPv6 and IPv4 devices in parallel in the network. In the early phases of the transition, we will be working closely with customers to support them as they make this change and to ensure a smooth transition to the new IP environment for continuous Internet access through our IPv6 fora. The transition to IPv6 can be smooth with the right preparation and because the move to the new protocol will not happen overnight, there is still plenty of time for small businesses to phase-in IPv6.”

With an IPv6-ready network, TM is well placed to provide enterprises with a seamless transition from IPv4 to IPv6, and support future IPv6 requirements of these customers in areas such as corporate internet, broadband services, hosted services and applications. This has been the case as early as mid-2011. In fact, TM is already meeting early demands for IPv6 networking from key Government agencies and enterprises subscribing to Direct – TM’s premium direct broadband connectivity service over Metro Ethernet (Metro-e).

IPv6 transition brings more opportunities than challenges to the Group - going beyond mere business sustainability. The abundance of IP addresses translates to new areas of innovation in technology that will bring more value to TM customers. With a multitude of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications expected to come in a big way, there will be many more connected devices and applications that could transform not only our Internet experience but our lifestyles. Customers can benefit from the richer services enabled by IPv6, or even a combination of IPv4/IPv6 addresses.

In this next phase, TM is also revving up efforts to prepare its mass customers for IPv6 adoption in the medium term timeframe of 2-3 years. TM will be embarking on various network upgrading and transformation exercises to the new protocol soon. This nationwide migration exercise will be implemented in stages according to zones beginning mid May 2012. TM assures its customers that the Company has planned the migration according to the industry best standard and practices, so those with normal Internet usage will continue to enjoy Internet experience with minimal interruption.

The exhaustion of IPv4 is a global trend happening around the world and in fact, Asia Pacific is the first region to have exhausted its quota of addresses, due to the great Internet penetration push in this region.

The Group has charted through two industry inflection points from analogue to digital, and again from digital to IP. Now that the global transition from IPv4 to IPv6 has started, and is paving the way for the adoption of the next generation Internet, TM is working hard to ensure that customers as well as other businesses are adequately prepared for the addition of IPv6 to their network. Leveraging on its all-IP infrastructure, TM will continue to keep abreast of technology evolution in its effort to ensure the delivery of next generation communication services to customers and is very much prepared to make the move and support its early adoption here in Malaysia.

For general information on IPv6, please visit www.ipv6forum.com. For more information on TM as well as announcement and updates on its products and services, visit www.tm.com.my.