Overall, the large address space, inbuilt security and mobility functions of IPv6 will be an important enabler of information sharing and offer new capabilities not possible with IPv4, he said.

"The network data space of the not-too-distant future will enable real-time information sharing and communication across large distances using an array of different devices and types of connectivity," he said.

"It's foreseeable that some time after 2008 the US Defense forces will stop supporting IPv4. If the Australian department continued to rely solely upon IPv4, the integration of equipment sourced from the US will be increasingly complex and costly."

It would also make interoperability and communication near impossible as most of this is IP-based, he said.

The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 does not come without challenges.