Finnish IPv6 Launch Event on 8 June in Helsinki, Finland

On Tuesday, 8 June 2015, Viestintävirasto, the Finnish telecommunications regulator, hosted a seminar on the launch of IPv6 in Finland. Emile Aben and Marco Hogewoning both attended the meeting on behalf of the RIPE NCC.

The half-day meeting represented the outcome of a project that began two years earlier with the renewal of the Finnish IPv6 Task Force's work programme. This renewal resulted in efforts to coordinate the deployment of IPv6, with the seminar date set as a milestone by which to achieve nationwide support for IPv6.

The project was supported by all major access providers, as well as hosting companies and content providers such as YLE (the national broadcaster) and MTV.

This strategy has paid off. Viestintävirasto estimates that approximately five million Finnish Internet connections are now IPv6 enabled. Measurements by APNIC also show a rapid increase in the number of IPv6 users over the past week: the percentage of end users observed using IPv6 quickly rose from almost nothing to 4.7%. DNA achieved the most successful deployment: the percentage of their customers using IPv6 rose to 16% and this figure is still increasing.

During the seminar, various operators reported on their experiences during the deployment. They also looked forward to resolving any remaining issues and using the knowledge they had gained to further advance IPv6 adoption throughout the country.

• More information about the initiative can be found on the Viestintävirasto website.
• APNIC offers detailed statistics on the IPv6 deployment.