On April 19, 2024, China’s Cyberspace Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the “2024 work plan for advancing the large-scale deployment and application of IPv6.”

The Work Plan aims to further promote the widespread use of IPv6. It does so by setting specific goals to be achieved by the end of 2024, including:

  • Number of active IPv6 users to reach 800 million.
  • Number of IoT IPv6 connections to hit 650 million.
  • Achieve a share of IPv6 traffic in fixed networks of 23% and in mobile networks of 65%.
  • Significant improvement in IPv6 network performance and user experience.
  • Cloud services, content delivery networks, and data centers will enable, by default, IPv6 at the start of service.
  • Major commercial websites and mobile internet applications are expected to achieve a 95% IPv6 support rate, with deeper and more extensive integration of IPv6 in various industries.
  • Penetration level of IPv6 in fixed networks will be significantly increased, with new home routers, set-top boxes, and other terminal devices defaulting to IPv6, and a noticeable increase in the IPv6 activation rate in existing home routers and corporate internet dedicated lines.
  • Continuous strengthening of IPv6 single-stack support capability.
  • Further expansion of “IPv6+” innovation technology application fields.
  • The IPv6 standard system will continue to be perfected, with the establishment of 50 national IPv6 standards.

To achieve these goals, the Work Plan outlines ten key tasks:

  • Enhance IPv6 network performance and service quality. This includes intensifying IPv6 network optimization efforts, improving the process for IPv6 service activation, continuously enhancing IPv6 interconnectivity, and advancing the transformation of broadcast networks to support IPv6.
  • Improve the level of IPv6 deployment in application facilities. Efforts will focus on strengthening the promotion of IPv6 in cloud products, increasing the IPv6 traffic share in content delivery networks, enhancing IPv6 upgrades in data centers, and promoting IPv6 deployment in computing infrastructure.
  • Enhance the IPv6 connectivity of end devices. This involves improving the use of IPv6 in home routers, expanding IPv6 support in smart home devices, and accelerating IPv6 applications in the Internet of Things.
  • Strengthen pilot testing and demonstration leadership. Initiatives include conducting IPv6 special actions in key cities, enhancing the role of pilot demonstrations, and promoting the early adoption of IPv6 in government office networks.
  • Advance the deployment of IPv6 single-stack. This includes enhancing the operational capabilities of IPv6 single-stack and expanding the pilot deployment range of IPv6 single-stack.
  • Deepen industry integration applications. Activities will focus on upgrading IPv6 in the systems of state-owned enterprises, elevating the level of IPv6 innovative applications in financial institutions, advancing IPv6 upgrades in the agricultural sector, deepening IPv6 deployment in the education sector, promoting IPv6 applications across various levels of human resources departments, advancing IPv6 deployment in civil affairs information systems, enhancing IPv6 upgrades in healthcare institutions, pushing forward IPv6 applications in digital transportation facilities, expanding IPv6 applications in the industrial internet, deepening IPv6 deployment in the water resources sector, intensifying IPv6 transformation in natural resources and environmental informatics, and promoting IPv6 support in emergency management business systems and devices.
  • Expand the scale of IPv6 content sources. This includes accelerating the upgrade and transformation of government networks and application services to IPv6, and expanding the scope of IPv6 support for commercial applications.
  • Promote the construction of innovative ecosystems and standard systems. This includes strengthening the construction of the “IPv6+” innovative industrial ecosystem, enhancing research on innovative Internet system architecture, continuously promoting the formulation and implementation of national IPv6 standards, and actively participating in the formulation of international IPv6 technical standards.
  • Strengthen network security guarantee. This includes accelerating the research, development, and application of IPv6 security technology products, and strengthening supervision of IPv6 network security protection and management.
  • Intensify publicity and promotion efforts. This includes innovating forms and content of publicity, and enriching industry exchange activities.

The large-scale deployment and use of IPv6 is a top policy priority in China. Since 2020, China has launched several actions and policy plans to facilitate the large-scale application of the technology, such as the special action plan for enhancing the end-to-end capability of IPv6, IPv6 transformation of Internet TV service, the three-year special action plan for IPv6 traffic enhancement (2021 to 2023), and tests for IPv6 protocol support capabilities in wireless local area network equipment in SRRC certification (radio devices type approval). The newly released documents can thus be seen as a continuation of this policy, reflecting China’s ambition to meet the vast needs of the internet economy and to seize the technological high ground.