Motivations for Stateless IPv4 over IPv6 Migration Solutions

IPv4 service continuity is one of the most sensitive problems that must be resolved by Service Providers during the IPv6 transition period - especially after the exhaustion of the public IPv4 address space. Current standardization effort that addresses IPv4 service continuity focuses on stateful mechanisms. This document elaborates on the motivations for the need to undertake a companion effort to specify stateless IPv4 over IPv6 approaches. This document does not claim that only stateless solutions are required but rather acknowledges both stateless and stateful solutions are needed. The selection of the appropriate solution(s) to be deployed depends on each Service Provider's context and decision-making process. It should take into account both technical and economical considerations.