 | Issue: | Asia-Pacific I 2011 |
| Article no.: | 1 | |
| Topic: | Information network development and IPv6 in Mongolia | |
| Author: | B. Boldbaatar | |
| Title: | Chairman and CEO | |
| Organisation: | Regulatory Commission, Mongolia | |
| PDF size: | 279KB |
About author
Mr Boldbaatar Bat-Amgalan is the Chairman and CEO of Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia. Before his appointment as Chairman, he accumulated experience in a broad range of organizations, including various government, private enterprises and non-governmental organizations. Prior positions have included Vice-Chairman of Information, Communication and Technology Authority of Mongolia, Editor-in-Chief of New Era Publishing House, Director of international non-governmental organization and Assistant officer for Members of Parliament of Mongolia. Mr Boldbaatar is a veteran in the Mongolian Telecommunication and Information Technology Sector with market oriented experience. His contributions to Mongolia’s ICT development include the establishment of the USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund), expansion of competition in mobile coverage, and the expansion of the Internet and television service opportunities. Mr. Boldbaatar Bat-Amgalan received a Master of Science Degree from Mongolian National University.
Article abstract
The Internet of things, cloud computing and mobile Internet networks convergence, and more, are all important advances. The next generation of Internet addressing – IPv6 – will be essential to their development. In Mongolia, the government is moving forward steadily with its plans to complete the transition to IPv6. Mongolia and other developing countries need better information networks and broadband for their socio-economic development. Appropriate policies and regulatory frameworks that foster IPv6-based backbone networks are needed for Mongolia’s growth.
Full Article
Information network development and IPv6 in Mongolia by B.Boldbaatar, Chairman and CEO, and T.Naranmandakh, Deputy-Director of Communications Regulatory Commission, Mongolia A rich supply of Internet addresses is vitally important to the deployment of many new technologies including cloud computing, smart grids, RFID, IPTV among others. Without IPv.6, the next generation of Internet addresses, growth will be delayed. Today, IPv4 addresses are rapidly approaching exhaustion. Once IPv4 exhaustion occurs it will no longer be possible to create new dual stack routers, bridges, hubs etc. as there will be no IPv4 addresses available. The Parliament of Mongolia and Government of Mongolia gives high priority to broadband network development, including IPv6 transition, and to core networks and ICT as main driving tools and catalysts for Mongolia’s socioeconomic development. Mongolia’s economy is in transition, as so many other developing countries, and broadband development strategy, including transition to IPv6, is vital to Mongolia’s future. Both the government and the private sector must work together to relieve the situation. Development policy and strategies The government’s development strategy considers the ICT sector among its greatest priorities. The government’s 2005 Mid-term Strategy for the Development of the ICT Sector will be implemented according to the E-Government Master Plan, and the subsequent E-Mongolia National Program. The E-Mongolia National Program intends to establish an information society and the foundation of a knowledge based society in Mongolia through the extensive use of ICT in all sectors of our society so that, by 2012, Mongolia becomes one of the top ten ICT developed countries in Asian Region Mongolia’s E-Government initiatives of include a build up of citizen-centred, result-oriented, market-based government by utilizing ICT throughout the government sector, including central and local administrative units. One of the main objectives of the Government Action Plan for 2008-2012 is “to ensure transparency, openness, speedy and fair service delivery and accountability in public administration and strengthen mutual trust between the state and citizens”. Four pillars support the government’s policy for the ICT and telecommunications sectors: 1. Establishing the appropriate policy, legal and regulatory framework; 2. Developing the country’s telecommunications and information infrastructure using IP based networks for access to reliable and affordable connectivity; 3. Establishing an economic and business framework for the utilization of ICTs in governance and other applications; and 4. Developing human resources to effectively utilize ICT. Mongolia’s National Broadband Programme calls for migration to IPv6 by 2015. Regulatory frameworks The CRC, established by the Communications Act of 2001, is an independent Mongolian Government regulatory agency. The CRC regulates and supervises a wide range of subjects including competition issues, the provision of networks and services for fixed line and wireless telecommunications, television, radio, and satellite transmission, spectrum management, postal services and the Internet throughout Mongolia. Key operators like Mobicom Corporation, RailCom, a subsidiary of Mongolia Railways, and Gemnet LLC operate their own private fibre optic and microwave infrastructure along main backbone networks, roads and railways. A number of licensed VSAT service providers also provide value-added services such as managed network services and on-line commercial bank services. The Internet service market is fully liberalized and there are approximately 106,000 Internet users. During 2009, the Government of Mongolia introduced DTH multichannel TV broadcasting covering all of Mongolia by satellite. The CRC licensed earth stations, which began operations in July 2009, for the Ku-band satellite; they provide capacity for more than 20 DTH television channels. In November 2009, the CRC granted two IP television (IPTV) and two Mobile TV licenses in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. This important step introduced IP services and new mobile applications and content to Mongolian people. In 2010, four existing mobile operators- Mobicom Corporation, Skytel LLC, Unitel LLC, G-Mobile LLC – began 3G services. CRC established its nationwide System for Spectrum Management and Monitoring (SMMS), which includes mobile, portable and fixed radio monitoring and inspection facilities. With help from the World Bank, CRC purchased the SMMS equipment to strengthen its regulatory capacity, radio frequency regulation and broadcasting services and to properly implement ICT sector reform policies and promote competition and growth in the sector. ICT infrastructure development The state owned Mongolian telecom backbone network consists of approximately 1400 km of digital microwave, more than 12,100 km of optical cable links, plus more than 400 VSAT systems linked to Ulaanbaatar and all provincial centres. Mongolia has made considerable progress in developing its information and communications infrastructure in recent years, particularly in the availability of modern basic service and cellular services. Mobicom Corporation-mobile service operator, RailCom, a subsidiary of Mongolia Railways, and Gemnet LLC operate their own private fibre optic and microwave infrastructure along main backbone networks, road and railways. Two 3G/GSM system operators – Mobicom and Unitel LLC – and two CDMA system operators – Skytel LLC and G-Mobile LLC – are providing mobile communications services in Mongolia. Mobile telephone density per 100 people has grown from 9.2 in 2002 to 82.2 in 2009. Figure-1 Mobile and fixed subscriber penetration There were 52 Internet service providers in the market at the end of 2009. Internet service providers connect with key ISPs via fibre-optics networks; these are connected to Russia and China, and are operated by the Railcom Center, Gemnet Company and MobiCom Corporation (see Figure-2). Figure-2 Internet subscribers, 2005- 2009 Prospect of IPv6 based network Transitioning to IPv6 calls for a fundamental, costly, change in the Internet Protocol layer, but it will enable the expanded use of the Internet and the development of new networking environments and services. A successful IPv6 transition must ensure effectiveness by fully understanding the needs and by creating a multi-stakeholder operational framework. The framework should be built upon needs assessment, planning and design, implementation, effective review and tracking mechanisms and capacity building. Figure-3 Operational frameworks, ITU Policy and regulation Mongolia’s National Broadband Programme, to be implemented by 2015 includes migration to IPv6. Its main goals of are – – To improve the quality of life for all citizens • by increasing wide range, always-on, applications such as e-government, e-commerce, e-learning, e-health etc; • through high speed and low cost broadband network with an IPv6-based backbone network (IP/MPLS) which covers all of Mongolia; • by enhancing industrial productivity via ICT, to upgrade Mongolian competitiveness; – To establish a high speed DWDM backbone network and national IP/MPLS network and migrate to IPv6. – To provide universal data service for public and private organizations and households. Figure-4 National IP/MPLS backbone network The following objectives are part of the main goal: Governmental objectives – • To create the legal environment needed to implement broadband policy; • In the capital – Ulaanbaatar: o improve the capacity and quality of current broadband networks; o increase the number of broadband-based services and applications; o develop converged services and technologies; • In rural and remote area. o create access networks for households; o improve Internet awareness; o introduce triple-play services; Information and Communication Infrastructure Objectives: • establish high capacity data transmission networks, based on DWDM/IP/MPLS technology; covering the capital city, towns and 21 provincial centres; • establish metropolitan network in 21 province centres; • provide soums (administrative districts) that do not have fibre optical network with high speed Internet accessibility; • establish a high speed data backbone and an integrated Internet gateway to connect government organizations in Ulaanbaatar; • enable the introduction of modern ICT/IP- based services nationwide (Internet, IPTV, VoIP, Distance learning, Telemedicine, etc.) Transition roadmap and strategy In June 2008, in the Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy, Ministers of many countries highlighted the importance of encouraging IPv6 adoption. To this end, international benchmarking IPv6 deployment would help build awareness of the issues, support informed policymaking, and help monitor the impact of various policies. Moving from IPv4 to IPv6 is not straightforward and mechanisms to enable coexistence of, and transition between, the two versions have to be standardised. The transition requires the latest model equipment and involves a significant amount of manpower to ensure seamless migration. Implementation of a countrywide IPv6 project requires a phased approach, to appropriately handle the technology and security issues involved. During the transition, both IPv4 and IPv6 will co-exist as a dual-stack operation on most of the Internet. The network infrastructure will have to be IPv6 ready before the protocol transition takes place. Given the exponential growth of data traffic, early preparation for infrastructure transition and of human resource is vital. Currently, the primary concern is IPv6 infrastructure compatibility to mitigate the cost of possible network transition failures. National, governmental, policies that establish roadmaps for capacity building, pilot projects and network audits are essential.
