The internet blog ReadWriteWeb reports internet experts as warning that we are running out of 32 bit IP addresses in less that one year. An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices computers, phones, wireless mobile applications, etc.
Many experts point out that the problem is a bit like what the phone company faced in the 1980s and 1990s, where we ran out of phone numbers.
According to Richard Macmanus, of ReadWriteWeb, “the Web largely uses IPv4, Internet Protocol version 4. Each IPv4 address is limited to a 32-bit number, which means there are a maximum of just over 4 billion unique addresses. IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol and uses a 128-bit address, so it supports a vastly larger number of unique addresses.”
He also points out that this is a problem that Internet Service Providers and telecom carriers will have to work out. Researchers have been working on a solution for over ten years, and one thing is for certain, with technology growing at such a rapid pace, the move will have to be made.
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