Mario Tokoro
Corporate Executive Vice President,
Co-CTO and President of Network & Software Technology Center
at Sony Corporation


With “Ubiquitous Value Network” as its strategic direction, Sony attempts to meld its consumer electronics products with networking. The company has a definite plan to start shipping IPv6-enabled products in the fall of 2003. We asked Mario Tokoro, Sony’s Co-CTO, on its IPv6 strategy. Tokoro served as professor of electronics engineering at Keio University till 1997 when he moved to Sony Corporation. He had served as vice president of Sony Computer Science Laboratory since 1988 in his Keio years.


Sony will have IPv6 products in the fall of 2003

IPv6style: What significance does IPv6 have and what role does it play in current and future development of Sony products?

Tokoro: Japan has led the world in IPv6 implementation, especially with protocol stacks. In this sense, IPv6 is something that Japan can contribute in promoting internationally. I can also point out that we need to devise ways to secure sufficient IP address space in coping with the Internet explosion is Asia. Japan may not be so miserable in terms of the IPv4 addresses we have got allocated. Well, up until now, only computers have spoken IP. But we will soon have digital electronics products, mobile terminals and mobile phones, all connected with IP. Even in Japan, current IPv4 address allocation is insufficient. Other Asian countries will face more serious situations. China has smaller IPv4 address space than Sony Group has. We need to make sure that these people will have enough IP addresses for the future. When electronics products and mobile phones become always connected, you can’t dynamically allocate IP addresses to cut down address consumption. Therefore we at Sony have internally discussed the undisputable necessity of IPv6 for a long time. Since latter 1990s, our chairman Nobuyuki Idei and I have often discussed that we needed to always keep IPv6 in our mind. In 2000, Idei became the chairperson of IT Strategy Committee of Japanese government, and listed IPv6 as one of strategic focuses, which became widely known. With such background, we take IPv6 seriously and committed to commercialize it.

IPv6style: More specifically, Sony revealed at an earning announcement conference in 2002 that it would start shipping IPv6-enabled products in late 2003.

Tokoro: Yes. I think we will be able to keep that promise. We have done various IPv6-related experiments in fiscal 2002, but we will ship commercial products in the time frame you mentioned.

IPv6style: And they are consumer electronics products?

Tokoro: Yes. We know that the most crucial period will be when we all move to IPv6, including applications. But we will take the lead in implementing it at our business divisions, while closely monitoring IPv6-related developments in general. I can say that technical preparations are almost completed.

IPv6style: Would these products be combined with the Internet service by Sony Communication Network (SCN)?

Tokoro: Sony has So-net by SCN, but closed business concept does not fit the Internet culture. We want other telecommunication firms to come up with services we can use. We will focus on software on our devices.

IPv6style: Would those IPv6-enabled products be a combination of home server/gateway like Cocoon Channel Server (a network-attached hard-disk video recorder) and NetMD-like portable product?

Tokoro: An advantage of IPv6 is that it is more suitable for peer-to-peer (P2P) communications. Look out for such P2P applications among the first IPv6-enabled products from us. We haven’t formally announced what will be shipped when, but we can say that we will have various terminal devices as well as gateway products available, starting in fall and winter of 2003. [Actual product shipment] depends on applications. Basic technology is ready, but we need to make sure each of our products has irresistible value.


IPv6 is a must for ubiquitous world

IPv6style: Sony already attempts to exchange video between VAIO PCs with Cocoon Channel Server and VEGA TV. Wouldn’t you think that there is a certain value in simply IPv6-enabling Cocoon Channel Server for direct manipulation over the Internet.

Tokoro:Exactly. When terminal devices get IPv6-aware, gateway product (like Cocoon Channel Server) gets IPv6-aware, too. Simply put, all our products will be eventually IPv6-enabled. We can’t say which one gets enabled when, but we are definitely heading for that direction. I believe that IPv6 is a must if we fully make our Ubiquitous Value Network(UVN) strategy a reality. I’m not saying that we can’t do anything without IPv6. There are things you can do with IPv4, but easier with IPv6. I believe IPv6 will be eventually required.

IPv6style: Some consumer electronics vendors wonder how they can make business out of P2P. These vendors are looking for some sort of intermediary services as source of profit when they consider network services. But P2P enables users and devices to communicate directly with one another, with less intermediary services required.

Tokoro: We have never thought of it that way. P2P might make it difficult to do intermediary services, but Sony is not in such business. For example, we will be happier if our contents service will be consumed by users anytime, anywhere. I don’t see why IPv6 leads to less revenue than IPv4. I can also say that P2P won’t make all intermediary services unnecessary. Mobile phones enable conversation with your friends wherever they are, but user locations can be tracked at least. Similarly, with IPv6, you will definitely need location-based routing services. I agree that there will be fewer opportunities for simple intermediary services. But that promotes fair competition among product vendors based on real value, making closed product strategy less effective.

IPv6style: Tell us why IPv6 is a must in Sony’s UVN strategy in more detail. And what factors other than IPv6 will be required?

Tokoro:Is 5-digit telephone number enough to serve 100 million users? Many people try to list possible issues with IPv6, such as DoS attacks. They resist changes because they have vested interest in the status quo. Countries with abundant IPv4 addresses might also be content with current situation. But you should carefully see who are making such argument against IPv6. Many people avoid scientific discussion and base their arguments on their own business advantages. But such argument against IPv6 won’t last for long. China is witnessing a dramatic increase in mobile phone and Internet users. The Internet is yet to explode in Indonesia, India, Russia, and East European countries,. These countries represent huge population. Would you be able to say to these people that IPv4 is enough? I think that’s egoism. [IPv6 deployment] might not be straightforward, but let’s do it because we’ll have to get there, sooner or later. IT Strategy Committee is telling the Japanese government “let’s do it.” We are certainly telling “let’s do it” to ourselves as company strategy. We’ll of course implement dual stack as interim solution. Customers decide which protocol to use. But when he or she asks us, “I’ll use IPv4 for now, but are you ready for IPv6?”,” we’ll make sure we’ll be able to answer, “Yes, we are.” So we will gradually IPv6-enable our products, starting in the fall 2003.

IPv6style: Telecommunication providers in Japan took the lead in experimental and commercial IPv6 services. They know IPv6 will eventually arrive, but they are increasingly wary of that fact that they are not making revenues relative to investment they made.

Tokoro: I don’t think there is much price difference between IPv4-only routers and IPv6-ready routers. That’s misplaced logic. We once calculated additional cost for IPv6-enabling all routers in Japan. Although I don’t have the number here, it wasn’t prohibitive. They all need to buy new routers anyway. I believe major ISPs already have IPv6-ready routers. When and how to do IPv6 services is a business decision at each of these companies. But can you say “we are still IPv4 only,” when everyone else is moving to IPv6? That’s a huge business risk.

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