IPv4 Addresses a Shrink to All-Time Low
The NRO or Number Resource Organization, the global center representing five Regional Internet Registries and overseeing allocation of all Internet number resources made a startling declaration yesterday: less than ten percent of IPv4 Addresses are left to be allocated worldwide.
For those who are uninitiated, IP technical rules come in two variants- IPv4 and IPv6. These rules actually govern how devices communicate with each other over a network. As the IPv4 version is fast depleting, the NRO has been advocating adoption of IPv6 for last so many years through speaking engagements, grassroots outreach, conferences and media outreach.
IPv6 is all about a modern numbering system that offers a much larger address pool than IPv4. With persistent efforts of NRO, the IPv6 allocations have gone up by 30 percent in 2009 yet the organizations have not responded with necessary alacrity to deploy IPv6 versions.
Axel Pawlik, Chairman of NRO was quick to note, “The limited IPv4 addresses will not allow us enough resources to achieve the ambitions we all hold for global Internet access. The deployment of IPv6 is a key infrastructure development that will enable the network to support the billions of people and devices that will connect in the coming years.”
NRO has been urging businesses, telecom operators, vendors, end-users and governments to start offering IPv6 capable platforms and services including web hosting and equipments. It held that even citizens and end-users should demand from their vendors and service providers that the services they receive must be IPv6 ready.
It is notable that from year 2009, SoftLayer Technologies started providing native IPv6 support across all its Data Centers in Washington, Seattle, Dallas. Similarly, Switch and Data, the Internet exchange services provider began providing direct access to NTT Communication Global IP Network, a Tier-1 IPv6 backbone for commercial applications. It is really critical that the global internet community timely realize the importance of switching over to IPv6 standard to avoid serious repercussions in future.
