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Big changes are in store for North America and its Internet addresses, as it passes from the old IPv4 to the new IPV6.
Every device, be it a computer or a phone, that uses an Internet connection needs what’s called an IP address, a long code made up of numbers. This is released by an organization called the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), which has recently announced that it has almost finished all possible numerical combinations for IPv4 addresses, remaining with a number of just 1,024 addresses.
As John Curran, president of the ARIN stated, this situation occurred due to the fact that more and more people started using an Internet connection.
“Organizations should be prepared to help usher in the next phase of the internet by deploying IPv6 as soon as possible,” said Curran.
40 years ago, when the Internet was designed, it was believed that 4,3 billion addresses would be enough, but nowadays things changed, as it became a very used and important part for different fields, such as trade, communication, invention etc.
Many different organizations responsible for the IP addresses in different parts of the world announced in the past few years that they already ran out of numerical codes. APNIC, responsible for Asia-Pacific area, exhausted the addresses in 2011; RIPE, which oversees EMEA, in 2012; LACNIC, responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2014. The only organization left, AFRINIC, responsible for Africa, still has codes left and is expected to run out of them in 2019.
The passing on to the new IPv6 will not influence normal users, technologists say. It will only compel big organizations to quickly move on the new IPv6.
Back in time, it seems that the technologists knew they would run out of codes, so in 1990, they created the IPv6. This one offers the users 340 undecillion addresses. This means that 5×1028 could be given to each and every person on Earth. That’s quite an impressive number, right? But don’t be overjoyed. Technologists approximate that only 42 undecillion will be available.
Most of the smartphones today are using the new IPv6. Also, Comcast, the US’s most important Internet provider, declared that its platform can be used for both IPv4 and IPv6.
Image Source: Pixabay
