The end is near -- for IPv4 addresses, that is. In a public ceremony Thursday, the last blocks of addresses based on the current Internet Protocol were assigned to regional Internet registries (RIR). Those addresses are projected to be given out by the RIRs by September, at which point the future expansion of the Internet will be dependent on a successful transition to the next generation.
Each block contains 16 million addresses, and one block went to each of the five regional organizations, covering Africa, the Asia Pacific region, America, Europe and the Middle East, and the Latin American and Caribbean region. The hand-off was conducted at a public ceremony in Miami by four international nonprofit groups that collaboratively administer the Internet addressing system.
'Only a Matter of Time'
Raúl Echeberría, chairman of the RIR umbrella organization, the Number Resource Organization, said "it's only a matter of time before the RIRs and Internet service providers must start denying requests for IPv4 address space." He added that "deploying IPv6 is now a requirement, not an option."
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said handing out of the final batch is "definitely a wake-up call" for businesses and consumers to get with the transition.
Businesses need to make sure they have a transition plan, she said, including an examination of whether they have applications that are dependent on IPv4.
Three main factors are behind the now-in-sight depletion of IPv4 addresses. One is the explosion in web access from multiple devices for each user, primarily in developed countries. Each of those smartphones, laptops, tablets, desktops and other devices that access the web require a different IP, or Internet Protocol, address. And the demand for device addresses is increasing rapidly, with TVs, game consoles, even automobiles beginning to offer web-browsing capabilities.
'50 Thousand Trillion Trillion Addresses'
A second factor is a rapidly growing user base in developing countries such as Brazil, India and China. Many users in those countries access the web through mobile devices, which means the device-per-user ratio is also likely to rapidly increase.
And third, the Internet is becoming the communications network for non-user-based equipment, such as smart electricity grids, sensors, RFIDs and smart houses.
IPv4 dates back to 1980 and a time when its 4.5 billion addresses seemed like a lot. The new IPv6 utilizes 128-bit addresses, instead of IPv4's 32-bit, and the new IP could offer -- if needed -- a vast number of addresses that should keep humanity happy until the sun burns out.
Some experts say IPv6 could provide four billion addresses for each person on Planet Earth. But Dave Evans, Cisco's chief technologist in its Internet business solutions group, has said the actual number is closer to "50 thousand trillion trillion addresses per person."
In addition to zillions of new addresses, IPv6 brings other improvements, including in routing, network autoconfiguration, better handling of 3G mobile networks, and other advantages.
Each block contains 16 million addresses, and one block went to each of the five regional organizations, covering Africa, the Asia Pacific region, America, Europe and the Middle East, and the Latin American and Caribbean region. The hand-off was conducted at a public ceremony in Miami by four international nonprofit groups that collaboratively administer the Internet addressing system.
'Only a Matter of Time'
Raúl Echeberría, chairman of the RIR umbrella organization, the Number Resource Organization, said "it's only a matter of time before the RIRs and Internet service providers must start denying requests for IPv4 address space." He added that "deploying IPv6 is now a requirement, not an option."
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said handing out of the final batch is "definitely a wake-up call" for businesses and consumers to get with the transition.
Businesses need to make sure they have a transition plan, she said, including an examination of whether they have applications that are dependent on IPv4.
Three main factors are behind the now-in-sight depletion of IPv4 addresses. One is the explosion in web access from multiple devices for each user, primarily in developed countries. Each of those smartphones, laptops, tablets, desktops and other devices that access the web require a different IP, or Internet Protocol, address. And the demand for device addresses is increasing rapidly, with TVs, game consoles, even automobiles beginning to offer web-browsing capabilities.
'50 Thousand Trillion Trillion Addresses'
A second factor is a rapidly growing user base in developing countries such as Brazil, India and China. Many users in those countries access the web through mobile devices, which means the device-per-user ratio is also likely to rapidly increase.
And third, the Internet is becoming the communications network for non-user-based equipment, such as smart electricity grids, sensors, RFIDs and smart houses.
IPv4 dates back to 1980 and a time when its 4.5 billion addresses seemed like a lot. The new IPv6 utilizes 128-bit addresses, instead of IPv4's 32-bit, and the new IP could offer -- if needed -- a vast number of addresses that should keep humanity happy until the sun burns out.
Some experts say IPv6 could provide four billion addresses for each person on Planet Earth. But Dave Evans, Cisco's chief technologist in its Internet business solutions group, has said the actual number is closer to "50 thousand trillion trillion addresses per person."
In addition to zillions of new addresses, IPv6 brings other improvements, including in routing, network autoconfiguration, better handling of 3G mobile networks, and other advantages.
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