MONROE, La., June 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE:CTL, news, filings) announced today that it will join the Internet community as a World IPv6 Day participant. On June 8, 2011, CenturyLink™ Business will participate in what is described as a “test flight” to ensure a successful transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). As a leading provider of IPv6 services, CenturyLink is helping jump start adoption of IPv6 while also creating a transition path for business customers to embrace the new Internet addressing system.
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“CenturyLink is continuing its leadership as a network operator by participating in this historic event,” said Pieter Poll, senior vice president of network planning engineering and construction for CenturyLink. “The groundwork that comes out of World IPv6 Day will help set the stage for worldwide adoption of the evolving Internet. IPv6 will enable greater security and allow for convergence in ways we can only now imagine.”
Organized by The Internet Society (ISOC), World IPv6 Day is a 24-hour trial to motivate Internet service providers, network operators, operating system vendors and web companies to prepare their services for the almost limitless supply of IPv6 addresses and ensure a successful transition as the world’s supply of IPv4 address space runs out. Transitioning to IPv6 will take time as the new protocol is not backward compatible with IPv4. For this reason, the two protocols will coexist as networking devices are enabled to seamlessly support both. CenturyLink and all other World IPv6 Day participants will also gather input on our network and the customer experience in order to gain best practices and improvements for deployment as adoption of IPv6 becomes ubiquitous.
As the world’s supply of IPv4 addresses exhausts, IPv6 addresses will accommodate approximately 5 x 10^28 addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people alive today. This expansion allows for many more computers, smart phones, automobiles, Web-based devices as well as additional users to join the Internet community. Network security is also integrated into the design of the IPv6 architecture, and the IPv6 specification mandates support for IP security as a fundamental interoperability requirement.
Participation in World IPv6 Day by CenturyLink Business continues the company’s leadership of addressing the Internet’s explosive growth. In July 2010, Qwest (which subsequently has been acquired by CenturyLink) announced it was offering both public and private IPv6 based services.
To help government and enterprise customers understand the transition, CenturyLink offers options to migrate from IPv4 to IPv6. CenturyLink works actively with government and industry on issues associated with protecting networks and information that flows through them. By offering the next-generation security that is integral to dedicated IPv6 addressing, CenturyLink is doing its part to provide government and business customers with the most advanced network security available.
Additional information is posted on the Internet Society’s World IPv6 Day page and at the Qwest Business IPv6 Page.
About CenturyLink
CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States. The company provides broadband, voice and wireless services to consumers and businesses across the country. It also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLink™ Prism™ TV and DIRECTV brands. In addition, the company provides data, voice and managed services to business, government and wholesale customers in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers. CenturyLink is recognized as a leader in the network services market by key technology industry analyst firms. CenturyLink’s customers range from Fortune 500 companies in some of the country’s largest cities to families living in rural America. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. For more information, visit www.centurylink.com.
SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.
For further information: Carolyn Tyler, +1-303-896-8092, Carolyn.Tyler@qwest.com
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