News from the University of Southampton

Ref: 05/57				5 April 2005

ECS improves broadcasting options for Virgin Radio
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The School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of
Southampton is the first university department to deploy IPv6 in production
on its network.  Now a team at the School has worked on the technology with
Virgin Radio to vastly increase its listening capacity online.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) provides 340 undecillion addresses (3.4 x
10^38) compared to the four billion addresses possible with the current
20-year-old IPv4.  Virgin is the first commercial radio station in the UK 
to use IPv6 in this way, enabling it to reach many more listeners on 
the Internet.

David Jones, Head of IT at Virgin Radio, said: 'We are delighted to be the
first commercial radio station in the UK to adopt this next generation Internet
protocol, and see it as being essential to the future of Internet Radio.
IPv6 is core to the future provision of radio to 3G mobile devices, and will
continue our strategy to expand on to all potential platforms.'

Nicholas Humfrey of the School of Electronics and Computer Science deployed
the software which enabled Virgin Radio to transmit over the IPv6-capable
Internet.  He points out that the Internet is running out of space for new
addresses and in order to increase its capacity, organisations need to
implement IPv6.  He comments: 'It's analogous to when BT had to do lots of
renumbering of the telephone system; now the Internet has reached the same
stage and needs space for more addresses.'

He added: 'Up to now the take-up of IPv6 has been slow and it has been
largely used by research associations rather than end users.  We want to see
more organisations and Internet Service Providers using it so that we can
develop further multicast technologies which will make broadcasting on the
Internet a more mutually satisfactory experience.'

Dr Tim Chown, who has led the University's research work on IPv6 since 1997,
said: 'The involvement with Virgin Radio is fantastic, and shows that there
is genuine commercial interest in IPv6.  This exciting new technology has
been made possible by our involvement in the EUR10M 6NET project (see
www.6net.org) which has defined and deployed new internet standards for IPv6
multicast.'


Notes to Editors
1. For further information about the service, visit:
http://www.ipv6.ecs.soton.ac.uk/virginradio/

2. For further information about the 6NET project and IPv6, see www.6net.org

3. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research
institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and
scholarship. The University has over 20,000 students and over 5,000 staff.
Its annual turnover is in the region of £270 million. 

4. The School of Electronics and Computer Science is the leading school in
the country researching computer science, electronics and electrical
engineering.

5. Virgin Radio is the UK's only commercial rock music station. It can be
heard on 105.8FM in London, on 1215AM nationwide, on any DAB Digital radio,
via Sky Digital and the cable TV networks and via WorldSpace. Virgin Radio
is the world's most listened to station on the Internet and can be heard at
www.virginradio.co.uk. Virgin Radio is wholly owned by SMG plc.

Useful web sites for journalists 
University of Southampton: www.soton.ac.uk
Latest University news releases: www.soton.ac.uk/press/pressreleases/
University Media Guide to Expertise:
www.soton.ac.uk/press/mediaguidetoexpertise/

For further information:

Nicholas Humfrey, Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia (IAM) Group, School of
Electronics and Computer Science
Tel: 023 8059 4059, email: njh@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Dr Tim Chown, Systems Manager, School of Electronics and Computer Science
Tel: 023 8059 3257, email: tjc@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Joyce Lewis, Communications Manager, Electronics and Computer Science,
University of Southampton
Tel: 023 8059 5453, email: j.k.lewis@ecs.soton.ac.uk