Yesterday, technical architect Cameron Byrne announced that T-Mobile has completed the deployment of IPv6 services across its entire network. This isn't the first IPv6 network, but it is the largest wireless IPv6 deployment in the world.
In the announcement, he stated that IPv6 is now available(Opens in a new window) over the main APN for T-Mobile. While there are still a few issues that need to be resolved, the IPv6 service works fairly well for most services. As a result, it will no longer be required to manually request access to IPv6 services. Instead, only a new APN needs to be added to the smartphone's configuration to make it work. Additionally, T-Mobile is having success getting manufacturers to provide devices that support IPv6 over UMTS networks.
Why is that important? Well, most UMTS devices are designed to only connect over IPv4 in the radio chip to the core network. Even though Android does technically support IPv6 over UMTS, usually only IPv6 over WiFi works on Android. The same is true for iOS and Windows Phone 7.5, too.
As of right now, the only devices that support IPv6 over GSM and UMTS are the Samsung Nexus S for T-Mobile USA and the international unlocked HSPA+ Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The deployment of IPv6 is also critical to T-Mobile's upcoming launch of LTE next year. LTE uses IPv6 natively across the network, so all LTE devices are IPv6 capable, too. T-Mobile's HSPA+/LTE devices will be IPv6 capable on all types of supported networks, rather than just LTE and WiFi (which is how Verizon and Sprint LTE devices will work).
Mr. Byrne has updated the website of the IPv6 trial(Opens in a new window) to reflect these changes. If you're a T-Mobile customer with a Samsung Nexus phone that is compatible with the T-Mobile UMTS network running Android 4.0, follow the steps on the website to activate IPv6 support and begin the "friendly user trial."
So, will T-Mobile be participating in the World IPv6 Day this June? Sadly, no. T-Mobile will not be participating because it doesn't have the device portfolio of IPv6 enabled devices to make it feasible for production IPv6 availability, according to Mr. Byrne when asked in a private email about it.Tagged In
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