2011-02-04

Virgin fibre IPv4 only!

Note: See comments for more "official" comment from Virgin on this.

A friend just got a virgin fibre in - only IPv4!
Asked about IPv6 and said "we don't support IPv6"
So explained IPv4 has run out, and they say "we have enough"

So how exactly does my friend connect to the rest of the world and IPv6 hosts?
Apparently the answer is they "do not guarantee anything beyond their own network" so the fact the rest of the world might have some IPv6 is not relevant.

Basically, "tough"...

Sounds to me like not actually any Internet connection then!

12 comments:

  1. He got real Fibre?

    Or did he actually get virgin COAX

    It's a bug bear of mine that they get to advertise their service as "Fibre optic broadband" because it's not FTTP

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, yes, this is rare, but it is in fact a business with a real fibre not a "call it fibre but actually coax" that they normally do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. When I last enquired about IPv6 support I was kindly informed that they can provide IP addresses in blocks of 8 (but not 6) and only to their business connections.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So, not a block of 1.2 trillion trillion then, Terry. Shame :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Perhaps it's time to start an ipv6 hall of fame/shame website.

    Have the ipv6 status of all the ISP, hosting companies and large UK organisations on it. Let people post what each organisation's status is, plus their "official" status if it can be obtained.

    ReplyDelete
  6. VM's attitude to ipv6 seems to be 'ignore it and it'll go away'. The last time I queried this on their forums I got 'ipv6 won't be relevant for 10 years'. And that was last month...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hmm, sounds like a bit of confusion really. Here's our line on IPv6:

    "Whilst we already have enough IPv4 address space for our current network needs, as part of ongoing network upgrades, we have been looking at making our network ready for IPv6 connectivity. There are many factors which need to be worked through to ensure a seamless experience for our customers but we anticipate we will progress with initial stages of IPv6 deployment at some point during 2012."

    If your friend wants to send on some details to the Twitter 'tweam' (twitter at virginmedia.co.uk) we're happy to get this fed back to the agent in question.

    Many thanks and have a great weekend :)



    Alex
    Customer Experience
    Virgin Media

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm just about to get quotes for an internet ethernet feed for work (yes A&A will be asked for a formal quote). I'll be going to Virgin as they have offered quite good deals in the past on our business park and are quite agressive in their selling. It'll be interesting as native IPv6 will be a critical requirement for the link - I'm not accepting a connection without.

    ReplyDelete
  9. bbc shall be in hall of shame, we had ipv6 on agenda for years however none of the big shots ever supported that afaik except from Brandon

    ReplyDelete
  10. Alex, thanks for that feedback. I have commented on the main article. That is a slightly more sane answer!

    ReplyDelete
  11. To be quite frank virgin are offering some stunning deals on business fibre connections, hence a friend going to them not us. But glad you are asking for a quote, Ionic.

    The fact you are making native IPv6 a requirement, now, shows how "plans to start in 2012" are perhaps a tad behind the game, IMHO.

    I suspect customer requirements like this will help motivate many ISPs.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Given that some sites will only be available via IPv6 during end of 2011 the party line about 2012 seems not just a bit behind the game.

    ReplyDelete

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