Latif Ladid is founder of the IPv6 Forum and responded to a few questions I asked on the future of IPv6. What are the biggest barriers to IPv6 implementation?`- Ensuring that all products support v6. For a list see the IPv6 Ready Logo program which we have created to fix this barrier http://www.ipv6ready.org/logo_db/approved_list.php

- Deployment of IPv6 by ISPs especially in the US and

- Lack of applications that specifically use IPv6. You can find some examples of v6 applications in the v6-Apps contest we run in Japan
http://www.v6pc.jp/apc2004/en/

Can the Internet backbone handle IPv6 traffic now?

The entire Internet supports IPv6 since it is tunnelled now. So any ISP that says it does not support IPv6 does not know that he is transporting IPv6 without knowing it.

What has to happen before it can be maid mainstream?

The question is how soon should it become mainstream. The IPv4 address space is supposed to run out by end of 2008 (see study by Tony Hain at Cisco http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac123/ac147/archived_issues/ipj_8-3/ipv4.html).

Basically Industry and governments should implement a transition plan not to hit the wall at full speed. See my recent interview http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;75779762;fp;2;fpid;4.