The next global shortage… internet addresses?
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
The world could face a shortage of internet addresses in less than three years, a new report on the future of the internet economy by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development argues.
According to the OECD, nearly 85% of all available internet protocal (IP) addresses are already in use, and if current trends continue, by 2011 we are likely to have run out of addresses entirely.
IP addresses are those funny little numbers with dots between them - 203.63.254.219 for example. Domain names get mapped to IP addresses. When you enter a domain name in your browser, it goes off and translates it to an IP address. IP addresses are what the Internet understands when it's sending your messages around.
The problem, according to the OECD, is that we are all still stuck on an older generation internet protocol called Ipv4, which limits the number of addresses that can be issued.
The OECD wants business and government to upgrade equipment and systems to a new protocol developed over the 1990s called IPv6, which apparently hasn’t happened so far because of costs associated with the switchover. The IP address shortage means the switchover needs to happen soon, according to the OECD, or the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of internet use could quickly decline.
Read more about the future of the internet
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