Nokia demos mobile IPv6 call

Nokia has demonstrated what it billed as the industry's first mobile IPv6 call. The demo, at this week's 3G World Congress in Hong Kong, featured real-time streaming video between two CDMA Dual-Stack handset on separate CDMA access networks using Mobile IPv6.

IPv6 is designed to replace the current Internet Protocol IPv4, which has a maximum address space for 4.3 billion. Some operators have worked around this limitation by using network address translation (NAT). NAT is fine for client/server-based Internet applications but limits the deployment of innovative network applications and services where every device needs a unique IP address.

Mobile IPv6 is a mobility protocol for IPv6 enabled handsets providing always-on capabilities and seamless mobility. Using the protocol enables terminals to maintain their IP connectivity as they move across networks with different access technologies, at least in theory. Mobile IPv6 also provides enhanced security and route-optimization techniques that can reduce handoff latencies for real-time services, such as Voice over IP and broadcast services.

"IPv6 is the next-generation of the internet protocol and has many advantages over IPv4 both for the network operators and the end-users," says Adam Gould, VP technology management and planning, Nokia CDMA. "IPv6 allows the deployment of millions of always-on, IP enabled devices, each with its own unique IP address. Additionally, Mobile IPv6 provides seamless mobility across access technologies (e.g. CDMA, WCDMA, WLAN) and is a powerful enabler for the next generation of services such as peer-to-peer services, push services and Voice over IP (VoIP) which demand always-on global [access] and seamless mobility."

Nokia supports dual-stack IPv4/IPv6/Mobile IPv6 in its terminals and the network, allowing interworking between IPv6 and IPv4 systems without translation technology. The firm said it was working closely with industry partners to support the transition to IPv6, the next generation internet protocol. ®

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