The National Advanced IPv6 Centre (NAv6) is participatiing in  the Asia Pacific regional Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT) 2010, now taking place at the KL Convention Centre from 23 February to 5 March.

NAv6 director, Prof. Dr. Sureswaran Ramdass will be speaking on IPv6 at APRICOT at 2.00pm on 3rd March.

Formerly known as the Network Research Group at the School of Computer Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, NAv6 is now in the forefront of the government's push for IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) adoption and implementation in Malaysia and to be the national centre for research into the next-generation Internet.

It's already well known that the current 32-bits IPv4 Internet addresses are running out, so the 128-bits IPv6 addressing scheme will, in theory, enable each person and almost every thing on Earth to have an IP address.

Meanwhile, NAv6 has developed an embedded software based, high-definition (HD) video conferencing solution - the world's first to be IPv6-based.

“Our software based engine is currently in prototype stage now and when market ready in November, will enable OEM equipment manufacturers and developers who want to develop it further to produce affordable, high-definition video conferencing systems,” said Sureswaran.

“Our solution is designed to fill the void between software-based video conferencing services such as Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and others with their free one-to-one communications and high-end, hardware-based, point-to multi-point video conferencing systems such as those by Tandberg, Polycom and others,” he added.

It's designed to be available in three ranges – ie. a low-definition system with text and simple presentations, a medium-definition system with a mixture of text and video and a high-definition system with HD-video, graphics and text.

NAv6 will localise its HD- video conferencing system for several installations across Asia. Its system costs up to about half that of the hardware-based systems and requires the addition of a HD-cameras and echo-cancellation microphones.

It works with regular 1 to 2 Mb/s ADSL connections, a projector, multiple display screens with a whiteboard, with optional addition of file-sharing, real-time editing and collaboration software or solutions.

NAv6 also conducts masters and PhD programmes which candidates can take while still working, under the supervision of a mentor from NAv6, so people can do their masters and PhD degrees remotely.

NAv6 wants to collaborate with other universities conducting research in similar areas of network monitoring, codeo conferencing, embedded systems and IPv6 as it is doing.

Further details are available at www.nav6.org.