Global network technology leader Billion has announced that it will release firmware to enable many of its recent broadband routers to handle IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) in the first quarter of 2011.

Billion will provide an IPv6 firmware upgrade for its X-Series routers including the 7404 VGPX, 7404 VGOX, 7404 VNPX, 7404 VNOX, 7402 NX, 7402 GX, 7402 GXL and 7401 VGPR3 models. X-Series routers use the latest Billion chipset.

IPv6-capable firmware will enable these routers to handle seamlessly a major technical change in the Internet. Adopting IPv6 is an essential next step for the Internet as the online world faces the imminent exhaustion of the four billion IP addresses provided by the current IPv4 addressing system.

Billion is a leading broadband router brand in Australia where it has been voted the most popular router hardware in the Australian Broadband Survey for each of the past four years (see www.impress.com.au/abs for details).

Billion, whose products are distributed nationally by PCRange, was one of the first companies to release new consumer-priced IPv6 routers earlier this year. Today’s announcement allows many installed Billion routers to become backwards-compatible with IPv6 by simply updating their firmware.

PCRange general manager Stewart Goodier said the release of the IPv6 firmware would allow many Billion customers to keep using products that had served them well. “IPv6 is the future of the Internet,” he said.

“Billion’s IPv6 firmware upgrade will take away the cost and pain of migration from IPv4 to IPv6 for customers who use these X-Series routers.”

IPv6 was designed to succeed IPv4, the first publicly-used Internet Protocol, because of the foreseeable exhaustion of the IPv4 address space. First published in 1998, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses to create a vastly larger address space than IPv4, which is only 32 bits. The IPv6 address space supports 340 undecillion IP addresses – an undecillion is a one followed by 36 zeroes – compared to the four billion addresses available in IPv4.

The challenge of this migration is that IPv6 addresses are not compatible with IPv4. The new firmware will allow eligible Billion routers to run in “dual stack” mode, broadcasting both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

About PCRange www.pcrange.com.au

PCRange is the exclusive Australian distributor for technology convergence products including:

• Billion broadband networking devices
• Minitar wireless networking devices
• AXIMCom 3G/P2P wireless routers and 3G travel mobile routers
• 3GO data modems
• Withings WiFi Body Scale
• PADACS accessories for Apple iPad and iPhone
• FRITZ!Box products from AVM.

Billion at a glance

Billion Electric Co. Ltd. (Taiex: 3027, trading as BILLION) is founded in Taiwan in 1973 and has grown to be one of the leading providers of network equipment and power supply products in the Asia Pacific. With the establishment of the Communication Division, Billion has reinforced its commitment to developing next-generation network equipment and Internet access devices to meet the needs of home users, telecommuters, SOHOs and SMBs around the globe. Billion has received a number of awards for its networking products and has acquired a considerable customer base across Europe, America, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. Since March 2009, Billion’s Power Division has added its investment in R&D and manufacturing of Smart Grid business in addition to the power supply products. This division has been officially re-named the "Power and Energy Management Division" (PEM Division) to illustrate Billion’s long-term focus on “Green” product development. With the supply of Smart Grid to reduce carbon emissions resulting in more energy-saving products, Billion aims to contribute to environmental protection and green planet. For more information, please visit www.billion.com.

For media assistance:

Call John Harris at Impress Media Australia on 08 8431 4000 or email jharris@impress.com.au.