It is often assumed that with IPv6, in many cases, the network is designed to be routed to the end customer's router. This feature is one of the fundamental advantages of IPv6 over IPv4, facilitating more efficient and direct network management.

Here's how this approach works and why it's important:

Prefix Assignment in IPv6

With IPv6, it is customary to assign larger address blocks, typically a /64 prefix, directly to end users. This allows each home or business to have an address space large enough to connect tens of thousands of devices directly to the Internet, without the need for techniques such as NAT (Network Address Translation) that are commonly used in IPv4.

Routing to the end customer

1. Direct Routing: In IPv6, each end client can receive a unique prefix (such as a /48 or /56) that can be subdivided into multiple internal /64 networks. Each of these prefixes can be directly routed through the ISP's network to the customer's router, significantly simplifying routing by eliminating the need for complex NAT configurations.
2. SLAAC (Stateless Address Autoconfiguration): IPv6 also supports stateless address autoconfiguration through SLAAC, where devices on the client network can be automatically configured without the need for a DHCP server. This is achieved by using the device's MAC address to generate a portion of the IPv6 address, making network management even easier.
3. Security and Management: Having unique IP addresses down to the edge makes it easier to manage security and quality of service, as each device has a unique identity on the network, and is not hidden behind a NAT. This improves traceability and the ability to implement effective network policies.

Benefits of the IPv6 routing approach

• NAT removal: Removing NAT simplifies communications, improves performance, and makes it easier to configure servers and network applications that need to be accessible from the outside.
• Ease of network management: Direct routing simplifies network structure, reduces configuration errors, and improves operational efficiency.
• IoT Preparedness: With the proliferation of Internet-connected (IoT) devices, having a wide range of available addresses and an automatic configuration method is essential to support the growth and scale of these technologies.

This approach to routing to the end customer with IPv6 is not only a technical improvement over the limitations of IPv4, but also opens up new possibilities in terms of how networks are designed and managed in the modern Internet era.