BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- With almost two decades ofexperience building one of the most expansive Internet backbones in theworld, Verizon Business is using its engineering expertise to deploy theInternet's next-generation protocol, known as IPv6, on the company's publicIP network worldwide.

The deployment, expected to be completed during the next 18 months, willpermit companies to fully integrate to IPv6, which offers many more Internetaddresses than the current IPv4 standard. More IP addresses will be neededas use of the Internet grows, including the expected connections ofadditional "smart" devices as well as radio transponders for shipping.

The federal government has already ordered its agencies to become IPv6-capable by June of 2008.

Verizon Business, which began its first phase of deploying IPv6 -- known asInternet Protocol Version 6 -- on the public IP network in 2004, willcomplete the North America region in 2008 and move into the Asia-Pacific andEuropean regions from late 2008 to 2009. The company will operate both IPv6and IPv4, in what is known as a "dual stack" arrangement, on its multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network core. The company also has deployedIPv6 throughout its network access points (peering facilities) whereInternet service providers exchange traffic.

"Verizon Business is among the first global providers to move to an IPv6-enabled public IP infrastructure," said Mike Marcellin, vice president ofproduct marketing for Verizon Business. "While IPv6 has been a hot topicamong service providers, government agencies and enterprise businesscustomers, many entities are just beginning to research the informationneeded for their migration strategy. With our knowledge and expertise,Verizon Business is ready to help its customers plan and administer thecomplex move from IPv4 to IPv6."

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