Government
Constanze Bürger of the German Government
High-speed Internet broadband is quickly becoming commonplace worldwide and many national governments have recently pledged to improve the reach of next-generation broadband networks.
There are undeniable socio-economic benefits to ensuring that as many people as possible have access to high-speed broadband. For example, the European Commission’s 2009 Digital Competitiveness Report estimates that widespread broadband access would help generate up to two million new jobs in Europe by 2015.
Yet, universal broadband will put heavy strain on the infrastructure of the Internet, as all computers connected to the global network need an IP address. To safeguard the future growth of the digital economy, a timely adoption of IPv6 is essential.
Government organisations are influential forces for Internet growth. Leading by example, they play an important part in supporting the deployment of IPv6. Where governments encourage a landscape for sustainable Internet development, the private sector will follow.