The explosive growth of the Internet has led to a rapid increase in the need for Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses. An IP address is assigned to every device that connects to the Internet.

Currently, IP addresses fall under the IPv4 standard; however, IPv4 addresses are expected to be exhausted sometime in the future. IPv6 is the successor and can support an exponentially larger number of IP addresses than IPv4...more addresses than could ever be used.

Learn more about IPv6 and how it affects me

AT&T has been planning for the IPv6 transition for several years, and we are on track for the full transition. Here are some steps we’re taking:

• Enabling our IP backbone network to support IPv6
• Offering dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 services to enterprise customers since June 2009
• Enabling our MIS and AVPN services to be IPv6-capable
• Supporting IPv6 over domestic peering links

IPv4 and IPv6 will co-exist for a long time. This means existing Internet customers should see no impact once this transaction begins. We have several methods in place to effectively manage the transition to extend the life of existing networks:

• Dual stack, which allows IPv4 and IPv6 to co-exist in the same devices and networks.
• Tunneling, which allows IPv6 packets to be transmitted over an IPv4 infrastructure – and vice-versa. When IPv6 becomes the more prevalent network this will not be required.
• Translation, which allows IPv6-only devices to communicate with IPv4-only devices.

As AT&T officially began supporting IPv6 in 2011, it’s important to note that the transition will be invisible to you. Our plans will enable you to continue to access the Internet and your email without any change in your user experience.

No. The transition to IPv6 will roll out over a period of years. You will only need to be ready when you attempt to access Internet content that happens to be available via IPv6 only. This may not occur for several years and AT&T has you covered.

The following DSL High Speed Internet devices support IPv6. If you have one of these models you don't need to take any steps for your equipment to become IPv6-capable.

Most U-verse Residential Gateways are IPv6-capable and automatic firmware updates will be pushed to those devices when IPv6 is deployed in your service area.