OTTAWA – The country’s big Internet service providers will be required to provide static Internet protocol (IP) address allocation for their third-party Internet access (TPIA) services, the CRTC has ruled.
A static IP address is a number that is assigned to a device, such as a computer, to be its permanent address on the Internet. An ISP assigns the address when it provides an Internet access service to an end-user.
Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron originally told the Commission that it is unclear whether the managed router solution they use to provide static IP addresses for business customers would work for their TPIA services, noting “technical challenges and uncertainties”. They also said that it was unlikely that they would be able to recover the costs involved, citing “limited demand and significant implementation costs”.
The companies instead suggested a solution based on dynamic domain name system (DDNS) technology, whereby an end-user would continue to be assigned dynamic IP addresses but would receive the benefits of static IP addressing for most situations, since website access would be linked to site names rather than to IP addresses. But this ides was challenged by the Canadian Network Operators Consortium and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers who said that the DDNS alternative is not acceptable “because of certain shortcomings related to security and insufficient reliability for business use”.
While noting that the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) used by Telus “merits consideration”, the Commission directed the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee develop a solution and file a report within 120 days.
