Ogero to deploy
the Internet of Things

IPv6 technology to be
ready by year-end

Ogero, the state-owned telecom operator, said it will complete the deployment of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) on its network before the end of 2016.

IPv6 is the newest version of the Internet Protocol (IP), which provides an identification and location system. Any computer or device connected to the Internet is assigned an IP address for identification and location definition. An IPv6 address is 128 bits long, while an IPv4 address is 32 bits long and this makes the number of addresses provided by IPv6 much larger compared with those provided by the former version.

The IPv6, which provides capacity for a large number of IP addresses, will replace the current IPv4, which has limited capacities and which has become saturated, said Gabriel Deek, President of the Internet Society, Lebanon Chapter. The new protocol will allow the development of projects in the Internet of Things (IoT) in the country, he said.

IoT extends Internet connectivity beyond computers, smartphones and tablets to a diverse range of physical objects such as devices, vehicles, and other things. It uses an IP address for communication between these objects and other devices and systems connected to the Internet.

Lebanon will be the second country in the Arab world, after Saudi Arabia to use the IPv6, according to Ogero, which expects the new Internet protocol to speed up expansion plans for its networks and provide better connectivity to the private and public sectors.