Navigating the Transition: Challenges and Benefits of Shifting from IPv4 to IPv6 in a Rapidly Evolving Internet Landscape

The exponential growth of internet-connected devices has rendered IPv4’s limited address space obsolete, necessitating a global transition to IPv6. This paper comprehensively examines the technical, economic, and organizational dimensions of this critical migration through empirical data and real-world case studies. This article demonstrates how IPv6’s 128-bit address space (3.4 × 103？ addresses) not only resolves IPv4 exhaustion but enables superior network performance, including 15% - 30% faster page loads and 40% more efficient video streaming, while mandatory IPsec implementation reduces security vulnerabilities by 40% - 62%. Despite these advantages, adoption faces significant barriers, including enterprise transition costs averaging $2.4 million and 3 - 5 year ROI timelines. Through analysis of successful implementations (e.g., South Korea’s 95% government adoption, Comcast’s 7-year phased migration), we identify best practices for overcoming technical incompatibilities and organizational resistance. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for policymakers and enterprises, emphasizing that IPv6 adoption is no longer optional but a strategic imperative for building scalable, secure, and future-ready networks in the 5G/IoT era.