Internet will run out of IP addresses

The spread of Internet use in Asia and rapid growth of smartphones are causing the Internet to run out of numerical addresses, which act as “phone numbers” to ensure that surfers reach
websites and e-mails find their destination.

The current Internet address system, Internet Protocol version 4, has been in use since the 1980s, and allows for a theoretical maximum of 4.3 billion addresses in use. Engineers are now working on a new address system, dubbed Internet Protocol version 6 (or IPv6) for new internet consumers to use once IPv4 runs out.

The IPv4 system, set up in the 1980s with a maximum of nearly 4.1 billion addresses, was supposed to never run out. The original creators of the web initially thought it would be used only for academic purposes.The internet will run out of numerical IP (Internet Protocol) addresses by today. Don’t panic! The web will not ground to a halt. A new system, Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6 will replace version 4.

The new system is called Internet Protocol version 6, or IPv6. John Curran, CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, or ARIN, one of five regional groups that dole out such addresses, said that only about 2 percent of websites support it. However, many of those are the most-visited sites on the Internet, including Google and Facebook. He expects smaller sites to scramble for IPv6 addresses now.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the top-level administrator of the system, has called a press conference in Miami on Thursday. The last five “blocks”of Internet Protocol, each with 16.8 million addresses, will be distributed to the regional registries. That means the regional groups will have IP addresses to distribute further to Internet service providers, websites and others before running out. Curran expects to deplete his allotment in six to nine months.