Home › Docs › ISP IPv6 Deployment Status by Country and Region

ISP IPv6 Deployment Status by Country and Region

As the internet transitions from IPv4 to IPv6, Internet Service Provider (ISP) adoption rates vary dramatically across countries and regions. This comprehensive guide provides current deployment statistics, major ISP implementation status, and regional trends based on data from APNIC, Google IPv6 statistics, RIPE NCC, and industry reports through early 2025.

Global IPv6 Adoption Overview

Current Global Statistics (2025)

As of early 2025, global IPv6 adoption has reached significant milestones:

Regional Distribution

By region (end of 2024):

Leading Countries in IPv6 Adoption

Top 10 Countries by Adoption Rate (2024-2025)

Based on Google IPv6 statistics and APNIC measurements:

Rank Country IPv6 Adoption Primary Drivers
1 France 80% Strong mobile operator support, government initiatives
2 Germany 74.85% Deutsche Telekom deployment, regulatory push
3 India 74-79% Reliance Jio's IPv6-first mobile network
4 Belgium 73%+ Aggressive ISP deployment
5 Malaysia 68% Regional government mandates
6 United States 50%+ Mobile carriers leading adoption
7 United Arab Emirates 49%+ Smart nation initiatives
8 Thailand 49%+ Government and ISP coordination
9 Finland 49%+ Nordic leadership in tech adoption
10 Canada 49%+ Major carrier deployments

Honorable Mentions

North America

United States

Overall Status: 50%+ adoption as of February 2025, ranking 17th globally

Market Breakdown:

Major U.S. ISPs and Their IPv6 Status

Comcast/Xfinity:

T-Mobile USA:

Verizon:

AT&T:

Spectrum (Charter Communications):

CenturyLink/Brightspeed:

Canada

Overall Status: 49%+ adoption

Major ISPs:

Drivers: Government support for IPv6, large mobile carrier adoption

Europe

Regional Overview

Overall Status: 31.4% adoption (end of 2024), up from 28% in 2022

Growth Pattern: Europe has doubled its IPv6 deployment over the past five years, though adoption lags behind Asia-Pacific and Americas.

France

Overall Status: 80% adoption (global leader)

Major Operators:

Success Factors: All mobile operators support IPv6 (as of 2020), government regulatory support, competitive ISP market driving innovation

Germany

Overall Status: 74.85% adoption (68% according to Google, June 2023)

Major Operators:

Success Factors: Strong technical infrastructure, regulatory requirements, early adopter mentality

United Kingdom

Overall Status: 49%+ adoption

Major Operators:

Success Factors: BT's early leadership, competitive market pressure

Nordic Countries

Norway:

Sweden:

Finland:

Southern Europe

Greece:

Southeast Europe:

Czech Republic

Status: Government-mandated IPv6 transition Key Initiative: All government networks must run IPv6-only by 2032 Expected Impact: Will drive broader adoption across enterprise and ISP sectors

Asia-Pacific

Regional Overview

Overall Status: 42.3% adoption (end of 2023), up from 37.2% in 2022

Significance: Asia-Pacific region overtook Americas in 2023 for highest regional IPv6 deployment percentage

Drivers: Rapid internet expansion, massive user bases in China and India, government mandates, IoT device proliferation

India

Overall Status: 74-79% adoption (highest globally by some measurements)

Market Leadership: APNIC Labs reported over 78% of India's Internet traffic transits via IPv6 (April 2023)

Major Indian ISPs

Reliance Jio:

Bharti Airtel:

BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited):

Success Factors: Jio's greenfield IPv6-first deployment strategy, competitive market dynamics, mobile-first internet access pattern

China

Overall Status: Government-mandated aggressive IPv6 deployment

2024 Government Mandates:

Major Chinese ISPs

China Mobile:

China Telecom:

China Unicom:

Key Initiatives:

Japan

Status: Progressive deployment with strong enterprise adoption Major ISPs: NTT Communications, KDDI, SoftBank Success Factors: Advanced technical infrastructure, government support

Malaysia

Overall Status: 68% adoption

Success Factors: Regional government mandates, ASEAN coordination, strong mobile adoption

Australia

Major ISPs: Telstra (progressive IPv6 deployment), Optus (gradual rollout), TPG Telecom Status: Steady growth with focus on mobile-first approach

Middle East

United Arab Emirates

Overall Status: 49%+ adoption

Drivers: Smart nation initiatives, government technology investments, competitive telecom market

Major ISPs: Etisalat (du), Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company

Saudi Arabia

Status: Progressive deployment Major ISPs: STC (Saudi Telecom Company), Mobily, Zain Drivers: Vision 2030 digital transformation initiatives

Latin America

Regional Overview

Status: Variable adoption across countries with strong mobile-led growth

LACNIC Region Trends:

Notable Countries

Brazil:

Mexico:

Nicaragua:

Africa

Regional Overview

Status: Generally lower adoption rates with significant growth potential

Challenges: Infrastructure limitations, IPv4 address trading, cost barriers

Notable Developments

ISP Deployment Strategies

Common Implementation Approaches

1. Native Dual-Stack (Most Common)

Description: Run IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously across network infrastructure

Advantages:

Used by: Comcast, BT, Deutsche Telekom, most major ISPs

2. IPv6-First with 464XLAT

Description: IPv6-only network with automatic IPv4 translation for legacy services

Advantages:

Used by: T-Mobile USA, Reliance Jio, advanced mobile carriers

3. Regional Phased Rollout

Description: Deploy IPv6 region by region, market by market

Advantages:

Used by: AT&T, Spectrum, regional ISPs

4. Mobile-First Deployment

Description: Enable IPv6 on mobile networks before fixed broadband

Advantages:

Used by: Most carriers globally, especially in developing markets

Technology Choices by ISP Type

Cable ISPs (Comcast, Virgin Media):

DSL/Fiber ISPs (BT, CenturyLink, AT&T):

Mobile Carriers (T-Mobile, Jio, Verizon Wireless):

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) ISPs:

Factors Influencing ISP Adoption

Positive Drivers

  1. IPv4 Address Exhaustion: Rising costs of IPv4 addresses ($40-60 per address in 2025)
  2. Government Mandates: U.S. federal deadline (80% by Sept 2025), China requirements, EU initiatives
  3. Mobile Network Modernization: LTE/5G infrastructure naturally supports IPv6
  4. Cost Savings: Reduced NAT complexity, simplified network architecture
  5. Competitive Pressure: Customer expectations, industry benchmarking

Barriers to Adoption

  1. Legacy Equipment: Older DOCSIS 2.0 modems, outdated routers
  2. Technical Debt: Complex IPv4 NAT configurations, established operational procedures
  3. Training Requirements: Staff education, new troubleshooting procedures
  4. Customer Equipment: Consumer routers with poor IPv6 support
  5. Perceived Low Urgency: IPv4 continues working, no immediate business impact

Regional Deployment Timelines

Historical Milestones

Future Projections (2025-2030)

2025-2026:

2027-2028:

2029-2030:

Testing Your ISP's IPv6 Support

Quick Online Testing

The fastest way to verify your ISP's IPv6 support is to visit test-ipv6.run:

  1. Navigate to https://test-ipv6.run in your browser
  2. Wait 15-30 seconds for all tests to complete
  3. Review your connectivity score and detailed results

What the results mean:

Command-Line Verification

Check your IPv6 address:

Windows:

ipconfig /all

macOS/Linux:

ifconfig
# or
ip addr show

Look for addresses starting with 2xxx: (global unicast addresses). If you only see fe80: addresses, your ISP is not providing IPv6 connectivity.

Test IPv6 connectivity:

ping6 google.com

Verify DNS resolution:

nslookup -type=AAAA google.com

Router Status Check

  1. Log into your router's admin interface
  2. Navigate to WAN/Internet status page
  3. Look for:
    • IPv6 address (starting with 2xxx:)
    • IPv6 gateway
    • Prefix delegation status
    • Connection type (DHCPv6, SLAAC, Native)

What If Your ISP Doesn't Support IPv6?

Steps to Take

1. Verify Current Status

2. Contact Your ISP

Call customer support and specifically request information about:

Effective communication template:

"Hello, I'd like to inquire about IPv6 connectivity on my internet service. According to online tests, I currently only have IPv4 connectivity. Can you confirm if IPv6 is available at my address and enable it on my account if possible? My current modem is [model number]. Please let me know if any equipment upgrades are required."

3. Consider Alternative Providers

If your ISP has no IPv6 plans:

4. Advocate for IPv6

Why Native IPv6 Matters

While IPv4 continues to work, native IPv6 support from your ISP provides:

Note on tunnel brokers: IPv6 tunnel services (like Hurricane Electric, SixXS) are no longer recommended for home users due to added latency, configuration complexity, and limited benefit. Advocate for native IPv6 from your ISP instead.

ISP IPv6 Best Practices

For ISPs Planning Deployment

  1. Start with dual-stack: Don't attempt IPv6-only initially except on mobile
  2. Mobile-first approach: Deploy on LTE/5G networks before fixed broadband
  3. Gradual rollout: Regional phased deployment reduces risk
  4. Customer education: Provide clear documentation and support resources
  5. Equipment upgrades: Ensure customer premises equipment supports IPv6
  6. Staff training: Invest in technical training for support and engineering teams
  7. Monitoring systems: Implement separate IPv4/IPv6 monitoring and alerting
  8. Security policies: Update firewall rules and security policies for IPv6

For Enterprise Customers

  1. Test ISP connectivity: Verify dual-stack support at test-ipv6.run
  2. Negotiate SLAs: Ensure IPv6 covered in service level agreements
  3. Verify prefix delegation: Confirm appropriate prefix size (/56 or /48 recommended)
  4. BGP considerations: If using BGP, ensure IPv6 peering configured
  5. Backup connectivity: Verify IPv6 support on redundant links

Data Sources and Methodology

This article synthesizes data from multiple authoritative sources:

Primary Data Sources

APNIC Labs:

Google IPv6 Statistics:

RIPE NCC:

Internet Society (ISOC):

Measurement Methodologies

Different organizations use varying measurement approaches:

Important note: Discrepancies between sources are normal due to different methodologies. This article uses multiple sources to provide comprehensive view.

Country and ISP Summary Tables

United States - Major ISP Status

ISP Deployment % Technology Status
Comcast/Xfinity 100% Dual-stack (DHCPv6) Complete
T-Mobile USA 93% IPv6-first (464XLAT) Industry leader
Verizon Wireless 82% Dual-stack/IPv6-first Extensive
Verizon Fios 82%+ Native dual-stack Extensive
AT&T 73% Dual-stack Progressive
Spectrum Variable Dual-stack Regional rollout
CenturyLink/Brightspeed Variable DHCPv6/SLAAC Regional deployment

Europe - Major ISP Status

Country ISP Deployment % Status
France Orange 65%+ Full mobile support
France Free (Iliad) 60%+ Early adopter
Germany Deutsche Telekom 80% Combined fixed/mobile
UK BT 100% Complete (2016)
UK EE (BT Mobile) High Full support
Norway ALTIBOX High Driving national growth

Asia-Pacific - Major ISP Status

Country ISP Deployment % Technology
India Reliance Jio 92-95% IPv6-only with NAT64
India Bharti Airtel (mobile) 60% Dual-stack
China China Mobile 60-73% (regional) Government-mandated
China China Telecom 38.6% Progressive deployment

Conclusion

IPv6 deployment by ISPs globally has reached a critical inflection point in 2025, with over 40% global adoption and 21 countries exceeding 50% deployment. Mobile carriers consistently lead fixed broadband providers, with networks like Reliance Jio and T-Mobile USA demonstrating that IPv6-first architectures are both technically feasible and commercially viable.

Key takeaways:

  1. Regional leaders: France (80%), Germany (74%), and India (74-79%) demonstrate that high IPv6 adoption is achievable
  2. Mobile drives adoption: 80%+ smartphone IPv6 usage shows mobile networks lead the transition
  3. U.S. milestone: Crossing 50% adoption in 2025 represents major progress
  4. China's potential: Government mandates position China for rapid acceleration
  5. Europe's growth: While lagging Asia-Pacific, Europe shows steady 6.2% annual growth

Testing your connectivity: Visit test-ipv6.run to verify your ISP's IPv6 support and understand your network's readiness for the next-generation internet. With native dual-stack becoming standard across leading ISPs worldwide, the question is no longer "if" but "when" your provider will complete IPv6 deployment.

The future of internet connectivity is dual-stack transitioning to IPv6-preferred, and eventually IPv6-only for many use cases. As this article demonstrates, ISPs worldwide are actively deploying IPv6, with adoption accelerating each year. Whether driven by IPv4 exhaustion economics, government mandates, or competitive pressure, the migration to IPv6 is well underway.

Data Sources:

Last Updated: January 2025

Related Articles:

Test Your Connection: https://test-ipv6.run