In summer, the old IPv4 addresses will run out, solution is already here conversion to IPv6 is slow
Internet addresses running low, businesses to spend huge
amounts getting more internet
In summer, the old IPv4 addresses will run out, but a
solution is already here
By Andrew Griffin
Thursday 14 May 2015
When the internet was created, it had space for 4.3
billion addresses. That might seem a lot — but soon we’re likely to run out.
There are only 3.4 million addresses left in North
America, and those are likely to run out in summer, according to the Wall
Street Journal. Now businesses have to make the expensive move towards a new
specification — IPv6, rather than the old IPv4 — which will never run out.
An IP address is a short series of numbers with three
dots between it, like 194.66.82.11. They’re used by computers and servers to
identify themselves to each other, allowing for connections to be made and
websites and other information to be sent.
But those four sets of numbers limit the amount of
different addresses that can be used. The maximum 4.3 billion possibilities is
a result of the relatively small amount of different combinations.
The new specification has space for 340 undecillion
addresses, or 340 followed by 36 zeroes. That’s enough to give every atom on
Earth its own IP address.
It was made in response to the reducing capacity. By
using longer and more complex addresses, the Internet Engineering Task Force
that invented it were able to make a lot more space.
Many countries have already moved over to IPv6. But North
America, which still accounts for many of the biggest websites, has been slow
to do so.
When the space runs out, normal internet users aren’t
likely to see much of a difference — especially since all of the biggest
websites and companies will probably have already migrated to the new standard.
But to make the change, companies have to invest in often
expensive new hardware that’s compatible with IPv6. Firms that don’t want to
upgrade will have to buy one of the old existing sites, which is likely to get
more expensive as they become more and more prized.
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