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Internet IPv4 address system hits its limit
The system that allows connects computers on the internet has hit its limit after 30 years of rapid growth, forcing major changes to the technology that has driven the information revolution.
The IPv4 addressing system was designed to give every computer connected to the internet a unique numerical address, allowing information to find its way from one to another anywhere in the world.
Originally conceived in the 1960s and standardised in 1981, it allowed for more than 4.2 billion addresses, but today RIPE NCC, the consortium of internet organisations that oversees the system in Europe, said it had used the last block of 16.8 million addresses.
"When the Internet was first designed it seemed highly unlikely that IP address space would ever be an issue," said Axel Pawlik, RIPE NCC's managing director.
"However, the limitations of the pool of IPv4 address space became clear over time, and in the last few years we have been monitoring supplies closely, preparing ourselves and all stakeholders for the next stage of the internet."
IPv4 will now be superceded by IPv6, a new addressing standard that offers around 340 trillion, trillion, trillion unique addresses.
It will mean internet service providers and large businesses will need to invest in new equipment and software, but if all goes to plan most ordinary users should not notice any difference.
Experts have warned for years that firms should prepare themselves, however. Vint Cerf, part of the team that developed the forerunner to the internet in the 1960s, told The Telegraph that foot-dragging could threaten the smartphone and tablet boom, which has already connected hundreds of millions of new devices to the internet.
"People will ask why their new smart devices don’t work. All the promise and potential of these devices will fail if the ISPs don't grasp this," he warned.
"More than 50 per cent of our members already have an IPv6 address space allocation, but there is still a long way to go before we can say that everyone is prepared," Mr Pawlik admitted today.
"IPv6 vastly increases the amount of address space, helping to enable an exciting turning point in society as Internet connected devices become increasingly more sophisticated and commonplace. IPv6 sets a firm foundation for guaranteeing that the future Internet remains reachable for all.”
Google, which now employs Vint Cerf, along with other major web firms, conducted a major test of its IPv6 infrastructure last year.