Starlink helps eight more nations pass 50 percent IPv6 adoption

Brazil debuts, Japan bounces back, and tiny Tuvalu soars on Elon's broadband birds

Eight more nations have passed at least 50 percent IPv6 deployment, according to the Internet Society (ISOC).

In a Thursday post, Technology Program Manager Mat Ford wrote that Brazil, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and Tuvalu have all joined the majority IPv6 club since June 2024.

Tuvalu’s rise is notable because it coincided with the arrival of Elon Musk’s Starlink space broadband service, which is IPv6-only. In June 2024, ISOC’s “Pulse” platform, which aggregates internet measurement data from diverse sources, found no IPv6 deployment in the tiny Pacific nation. Pulse now reports that Starlink has 88 percent market share and 59 percent of Tuvalu’s internet connections use IPv6.

Pulse data also shows that France has leapt from third place on the IPv6 adoption charts to draw level with India in first place. Both nations have reached 73 percent deployment. Mexico made it in for the first time, as did Brazil.

Japan made a big move from 49 percent to 55 percent, returning to the 50 percent deployment club after a mid-2024 dip.

Puerto Rico was the other big mover, moving from 49 percent in June 2024 to 53 percent this year.

Thailand looks to be the most likely nation to reach 50 percent deployment, as Pulse finds the Asian nation is 49 percent IPv6. Estonia on 46 percent and the UK on 45 percent are also candidates.

As we’ve previously reported, two regions of the world have already achieved 50 percent IPv6 capability: The 56 countries served by the Asia Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) and the 29 nations covered by the American Registry for Internet Numbers.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority made the first allocation of IPv6 addresses in 1999 and at the time it was widely assumed that the protocol would quickly replace its predecessor IPv4. That hasn’t happened for a variety of reasons, among them the fact that the IPv4 number space was extended by use of Network Address Translation, which meant those who prefer the old protocol didn’t need to migrate to IPv6 as their networks expanded.

APNIC Chief Scientist Geoff Huston has also argued that all IP addresses have lost relevance, as the rise of content delivery networks means domain name services are now the main way content providers steer traffic around the internet.

The vigorous market for IPv4 addresses suggests plenty of users remain interested in securing more of the old-school addresses. ®