Network operators across the Middle East will turn their attention to protocol planning when the MENOG 25 IPv6 Fundamentals Training Course takes place at Anantara Downtown Dubai on Monday 24 November 2025. The one day workshop runs from 09:00 to 18:00 in Meeting Room 4 as part of the wider Middle East Network Operators Group week. MENOG 25 itself spans workshops, peering sessions and community meetings that focus on real world Internet infrastructure. The IPv6 course is delivered under the RIPE NCC training programme, which has helped many regional teams move beyond trial deployments into production designs. The tone is hands on and practical rather than marketing driven, which makes it particularly attractive for engineers who want to apply IPv6 in live networks.
Workshop focus and hands on format
The IPv6 Fundamentals Training Course is designed to explain what IPv6 actually changes in day to day network operations and why it is needed alongside or instead of IPv4. Participants work through address notation, allocation planning, basic protocol behaviour and the early steps of an implementation roadmap. Exercises guide attendees through creating an addressing plan, making assignments and configuring sample scenarios rather than just listening to slides. Because the workshop lasts the full day, there is enough time to move from theory into lab style exercises. It runs from 09:00 to 18:00 on Monday 24 November 2025, giving you a complete day dedicated only to IPv6.
Trainers and learning outcomes
RIPE NCC trainers such as senior Internet resource analysts and technical trainers lead the course, bringing experience from many deployments across Europe, the Middle East and neighbouring regions. Throughout the day they explain how address distribution works in practice, which mistakes usually slow down rollouts and how to read and interpret IPv6 packets. Attendees can ask detailed questions about their own networks, including dual stack designs or step by step migration paths. By the closing session, most participants are expected to understand address structure, basic routing behaviour and initial deployment checklists. You leave with a clearer idea of how to start or clean up IPv6 inside your own organisation, rather than just a theoretical overview.
Agenda rhythm and breaks through the day
The agenda follows a steady pattern of teaching blocks and breaks to help participants absorb a dense technical topic. A welcome coffee around 09:00 is followed by the first teaching block from roughly 09:30, with a mid morning coffee break to reset before late morning exercises. Lunch around 13:00 separates the theoretical morning from the more configuration focused afternoon sessions. After lunch, trainers usually concentrate on packet structure, deployment examples and practical configuration work, again with a short afternoon break before the closing segment. Expect to stay engaged and active throughout, because the schedule uses exercises and discussion to avoid a long day of passive listening.
Registration costs and who should attend
MENOG 25 is promoted as a free of charge regional meeting, and registration announcements for 2025 confirm that attendance does not carry a participation fee, although travel and accommodation remain at the attendee’s expense. In line with that model, the IPv6 Fundamentals Training Course is expected to be free for registered MENOG 25 participants, with places allocated on a first come basis due to limited meeting room capacity. The training is most useful for network engineers, NOC staff, peering coordinators and technical managers who already handle routing and addressing but want to gain confidence with IPv6. However, it also suits motivated juniors who plan to step into design roles soon. Treat the course as a full workday of professional development that you should book into your calendar just like any other major technical commitment.
Venue layout meeting room access and parking
Anantara Downtown Dubai sits in Business Bay, close to Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, and serves as the main venue for MENOG 25 across the week. Meeting Room 4 is one of several dedicated conference spaces on the events floor, with clear signage from the lobby and lift areas on workshop days. The hotel offers free self parking and free valet parking for guests and visitors, which is a strong advantage for engineers bringing laptops and equipment. Parking is managed on site with both indoor and outdoor options, and a specialist parking partner helps keep entry and exit organised during busy conference periods. Business Bay Metro Station on the Red Line is roughly a 10 to 15 minute walk away, so many attendees can combine metro and a short walk or quick taxi hop. Because parking is free but not unlimited, arriving early in the morning gives you a much better chance of finding a convenient indoor space close to the conference lifts.
Arrival suggestions from Abu Dhabi Sharjah and other Emirates
For engineers driving from Abu Dhabi on Monday morning, the usual route along E11 into Dubai and then toward Business Bay typically takes between one hour twenty minutes and two hours, depending on congestion around Sheikh Zayed Road. Therefore, leaving Abu Dhabi between 06:00 and 06:30 gives a realistic chance of arriving at Anantara Downtown Dubai before 08:30, with time for parking and the first coffee. From Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, main arteries such as Al Ittihad Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road can slow significantly after 07:30, especially near Dubai Creek and Business Bay exits. Many Sharjah based attendees prefer to car share to an interchange area, park near a Red Line metro station, then ride into Business Bay and walk or take a short taxi to the hotel. Whichever Emirate you start from, planning to reach the venue at least thirty to forty minutes before the 09:00 welcome coffee will protect you from the sharpest part of the morning rush.
On site experience and learning environment
Inside the hotel, meeting rooms at Anantara Downtown Dubai are modern, well lit and equipped with stable connectivity, which is essential for a workshop that touches live Internet protocols. Coffee breaks and lunch usually take place in nearby foyer areas or hotel restaurants, giving plenty of space for side conversations and informal troubleshooting chats. Because MENOG attracts operators and engineers from across the region, you can compare IPv6 experiences with peers running very different networks, from small ISPs to large mobile operators. The Business Bay setting also makes it easy to arrange evening meetups with colleagues or vendors at nearby cafés after the workshop closes at 18:00. Expect a focused but friendly atmosphere where most people attend specifically to share operational experience and learn from each other.
Weekend weather outlook and equipment checklist
The weekend leading into the workshop is forecast to stay dry and warm in Dubai, with hazy sunshine and daytime highs around 32 degrees Celsius on Saturday 22 November and Sunday 23 November 2025, and overnight lows near 21 to 22 degrees. No meaningful rain or mud risk is indicated for those days, so streets and pavements around Business Bay should remain clean and easy to walk. However, strong air conditioning inside meeting rooms can make long sessions feel cool after a while. A light shirt or polo paired with comfortable trousers works well, backed up by a thin sweater or jacket you can put on during longer blocks in Meeting Room 4. Bringing a small backpack for your laptop, power adapters, notebook and a refillable water bottle will keep you comfortable through a long training day without feeling overloaded.
Traffic parking warnings and closing advice
On Monday 24 November 2025, roads into Business Bay can be particularly busy between 07:30 and 09:30 and again from about 17:00 to 19:00, so it is wise to avoid planning your arrival or departure exactly in those windows if you drive. Taxis and ride hailing services from Dubai International Airport typically cost approximately 40 to 60 AED to reach Anantara Downtown Dubai, and they allow you to step directly into the lobby without worrying about parking at all. If you do park, free self parking and valet parking are available, but spaces closest to the meeting floors fill quickly on workshop mornings. The nearby Business Bay Metro Station offers a reliable alternative, especially if you are staying along the Red Line or connecting from other parts of the city. Ticket and registration conditions for MENOG 25 are announced as free of charge, yet any prices for transport, accommodation or extras should always be treated as approximately valid because they can change closer to the date. Book your place, organise your transport and plan your arrival time early so traffic, parking pressure or last minute price shifts do not prevent you from benefiting from a rare full day of IPv6 training in the region. As the editorial team behind www.few.ae often notes in their event coverage, a bit of preparation around traffic, weather and logistics usually turns a demanding technical workshop into a far smoother and more productive day for solo network engineers and small operational teams alike.
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