The Internet’s Last Few Addresses

Network engineers predict that the Internet will be down to the last few hundred thousand (or fewer) web addresses by the end of 2010.

These aren’t the domain names you type into a browser to surf, but the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that allow devices (computers, phones, etc) to connect to the Internet. IP addresses are essential for all online communications including web pages, email, streaming video and voice chat.

And they are nearly all used up.

The current address system, called IPv4, allows for around four billion address names. As the system was introduced in 1981—when the Internet was connecting fewer than 500 computers—Internet founders can be forgiven for thinking that four billion names would last forever. But with thousands of new devices being added daily (ranging from web servers to mobile phones), that’s not nearly the case. As new addresses become fewer and fewer, we’ll all feel the repercussions: Internet speeds will decline, and new connections and services will become expensive or impossible to obtain.

The newer IPv6 format was agreed upon more than ten years ago and will provide enough addresses for billions upon billions of devices, improving Internet phone and video calls and possibly even bringing an end to email spam. The transition from the current IPv4 to the newer IPv6 format is straightforward, but involves new networking equipment; support has been built into Windows and Macintosh computers for several years now.

Here’s hoping they get moving before the clock runs out.