What just happened? The number of countries where more than half of internet connections use the IPv6 protocol has surged from 13 to 21 over the past year. This rapid progress, tracked by measurements from organizations such as Akamai, APNIC, Facebook, and Google, highlights both evolution and the growing influence of new connectivity providers, most notably Starlink.

The most dramatic transformation has occurred in Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation with a population under 10,000. Until early 2025, Tuvalu had virtually no IPv6 presence. That changed almost overnight with the arrival of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service.

Starlink’s network is built on IPv6 by default, and its entry into Tuvalu’s market – where it now commands an estimated 88 percent share – catapulted the country’s IPv6 deployment from 0 to 59 percent in a matter of months. According to APNIC, Starlink is currently the only internet service provider in Tuvalu offering IPv6, making it the sole driver of this rapid adoption.

Tuvalu’s experience is not isolated. Other countries, including Brazil, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Sri Lanka, have also crossed the 50 percent threshold for IPv6 deployment in the past year. In some cases, such as Japan and Puerto Rico, this represents a return to the majority club after brief declines, while for others like Brazil and Mexico, it marks a debut. France and India now lead the world in IPv6 adoption, with each country at 73 percent deployment.

IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is the successor to the decades-old IPv4 system that underpins the internet. The main limitation of IPv4 is its 32-bit address space, which allows for approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, a number that proved insufficient as the number of internet-connected devices worldwide exploded.

IPv6 solves this problem with 128-bit addresses, enabling approximately 340 undecillion (that’s 340 trillion trillion trillion) unique identifiers. This vast address space ensures that every device, from smartphones to smart refrigerators, can have its unique address for decades to come.

Beyond its expanded capacity, IPv6 brings technical improvements. It simplifies packet headers for more efficient routing, supports automatic device configuration, and includes mandatory security features such as IPsec for encrypted and authenticated communication.

Unlike IPv4, which often requires workarounds such as Network Address Translation to share a single address among multiple devices, IPv6 enables direct, end-to-end connectivity.

Starlink’s role in accelerating IPv6 adoption is particularly noteworthy. As a satellite-based provider, Starlink can deliver high-speed internet to remote or underserved regions where traditional infrastructure is lacking. By operating an IPv6-only network, Starlink not only brings connectivity but also helps leapfrog legacy technology, pushing entire countries toward modern standards in a single step. This effect has also been observed in other regions, including parts of Africa, where Starlink’s presence is driving similar transitions.

With countries such as Thailand, Estonia, and the United Kingdom now approaching the 50 percent mark, the list of majority-IPv6 nations is expected to keep growing, signaling a new era for the world’s digital infrastructure.