New Threat Facing the Internet – Running out of IP Addresses

Experts recently announced that the Internet may have reached its limits. Within 17 months from now the amount of new devices connecting to the Internet will plummet drastically as we run out of IP Addresses. An IP Address is the unique code assigned to every device accessing the Internet at any given time. Without an IP Address, access to the Internet is not possible.

This information was confirmed by Daniel Karrenberg, chief scientist at RIPE NCC, the organization that issued IP Addresses in Europe. He confirmed that the Internet will no longer be able to grow. The Internet will not cease functioning, but new devices connecting to the Internet will be limited.

It is expected that the last batches of IP Addresses will be issued by September 2011.

While this all sounds like a huge disaster waiting to happen, there is a solution. The solution will require everyone to act quickly in order to prevent this from happening.

Currently the Internet is currently built around the IP Addressing Scheme version 4 (IPv4), which has around 4 billion IP Addresses. It is these addresses that are running out fast. This system was designed in the 1970’s and at the time, 4 billion seemed like a huge amount that would be sufficient for a very long time.

Luckily there is a replacement for the IPv4 system, which is known as the IP Addressing Scheme version 6 (IPv6). It is estimated that this system has trillions more IP Addresses available and is ready to go. This system, however, requires certain changes to hardware and people and companies need to prepare their systems for the use of the IPv6 system.

Unfortunately, many people and businesses leave these changes to the last moment. Many are slow to react with immediate effect and may find themselves caught up in the big Internet crunch. It is estimated that only a quarter of all European businesses are already IPv6 compliant.

IPv6 and IPv4 were designed in a way that they would work together. Unfortunately, those already making use of this technology reported teething problems. Leaving the migration of businesses to this system for the last minute, may cause several businesses experiencing problems that could compound the problems.

Businesses should also realize that this problem is not only facing companies producing devices, but also Internet Service Providers. By not taking actions may ensure many people not IPv6-ready may be excluded from connected to the Internet as these institutions migrate to this system.

Many experts are agreeing that we are faced with this situation due to the large number of devices that are continuously introduced to the world able to connect to the Internet. Another factor is the increasing number of users accessing the Internet from around the world, whether it is for personal or business use. In the 1970’s it simply was never thought that 30 years later so many people would be making use of the Internet.