China’s Massive IPv6 Rollout: Key Steps and Targets for 2020

To implement the "IPv6 Large‑Scale Deployment Action Plan," the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) outlines 21 measures across six major areas.

1. LTE Network End‑to‑End IPv6 Transformation

(a) LTE network IPv6 transformation: By the end of 2018, telecom operators must complete IPv6 upgrades of LTE core, access, transport networks and OSS/BSS, enabling IPv6 address allocation for mobile users.

(b) Operator‑owned service system IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, portals, online business halls, and the top‑10 mobile apps must support IPv6, with traffic‑free upgrades to encourage updates.

Target: at least 50 million mobile IPv6 users by the end of 2018, with specific quotas for China Telecom (≥10 million), China Mobile (≥30 million), and China Unicom (≥10 million).

(c) Full IPv6 support in mobile terminals: New devices must ship with dual‑stack default, and existing devices should be upgraded via software.

(d) Inter‑operator IPv6 interconnection: By Q1 2019, LTE networks and the top‑10 mobile app servers must achieve IPv6 cross‑network access for 30 selected apps.

2. Accelerate Fixed‑Network IPv6 Upgrade

(a) Backbone IPv6 interconnection: Complete IPv6 upgrades at key interconnection points (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Chengdu) by the end of 2018 with ≥1 Tbps bandwidth; nationwide backbone by the end of 2020 with ≥5 Tbps.

(b) Metro and access network IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, operators must enable IPv6 services for fixed broadband users and offer IPv6‑based leased lines with preferential pricing.

(c) Fixed terminals IPv6 support: New home/enterprise gateways, routers, etc., must default to dual‑stack.

(d) Business support system upgrade: By Q3 2018, operators must establish IPv6‑aware O&M, billing, and statistical capabilities.

3. Promote Application‑Layer IPv6 Upgrade

(a) Data‑center IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, major telecom operators and large data‑center providers must complete IPv6 upgrades; by 2020 all large data centers must be IPv6‑ready.

(b) CDN IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, major cloud CDN providers (Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Kingsoft Cloud, etc.) must upgrade.

(c) Cloud service platform IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, telecom operators and major cloud vendors must have ≥50 % of cloud products IPv6‑compatible; full coverage by 2020.

(d) DNS IPv6 upgrade: By the end of 2018, major DNS operators must support IPv6 for recursive resolvers and registration services.

4. Government Website IPv6 Upgrade and Industrial Internet IPv6 Applications

(a) Government portal IPv6 upgrade: MIIT portal by the end of 2018; all ministries, universities, and provincial communication administrations by the end of 2019.

(b) Industrial Internet IPv6 applications: Encourage key industries and enterprises to adopt IPv6‑based industrial internet solutions and develop standards.

5. Strengthen IPv6 Network Security

(a) Incorporate IPv6 infrastructure into telecom and internet security frameworks, establish management and technical requirements, and conduct security grading, risk assessment, and alerts.

(b) Upgrade security systems of operators, data centers, CDNs, and cloud services to support IPv6.

(c) Build IPv6‑focused security research for industrial internet, IoT, AI, etc., and promote collaborative R&D.

6. Supporting Measures

(a) Organizational leadership: Establish dedicated work groups led by senior executives; submit implementation plans by 15 May.

(b) Responsibility and funding: Include IPv6 task completion in performance assessments; report progress quarterly.

(c) Standardized management: Revise filing, address allocation, and equipment testing regulations to require IPv6 compliance; make IPv6 support a condition for project approvals.

(d) Supervision and assessment: MIIT will form an expert group, set assessment criteria, conduct regular inspections, and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology will build a monitoring platform for key IPv6 indicators.