BEIJING - China is accelerating the deployment of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based network, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

China will launch a special campaign to upgrade the network infrastructure, improve IPv6 service and make the terminal equipment better support IPv6, said an official with the MIIT. "We decided to finish transforming 13 internet backbones to the IPv6 network by the end of 2019."

The country will strengthen the security in the IPv6 network and support relevant companies and institutions to carry out research on the prevention of risks in the IPv6 network in emerging industries, including the Industrial Internet, Internet of things and car networking, the ministry said.

The IPv6 is considered the next generation of the internet, allowing much higher theoretical limits on the number of IP addresses than the current IPv4 system.

China in 2017 issued a plan to encourage large-scale adoption of the IPv6 network. According to the plan, by the end of 2025, network and terminal devices will fully support the adoption of IPv6 in China, and it will have the largest number of IPv6 users in the world by the end of 2025.