IPv4's in Short Supply

The shortage of IPv4 addresses has reached a critical stage, according to the registries that allocate Internet numbers around the world.

The Number Resource Organization (NRO), which represents the registries, said Tuesday that less than 10 percent of all IPv4 addresses remain available, threatening the future network operations of all businesses and organizations unless ISPs and businesses step up their migration to IPv6.

"The limited IPv4 addresses will not allow us enough resources to achieve the ambitions we all hold for global Internet access," NRO Chairman Axel Pawlik said in a statement Tuesday. "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."

There are two versions of the internet protocol (IP), which lets devices talk to each other over networks. Most addresses are based on IPv4, but the newer IPv6 — set live in early 2008 — provides trillions more addresses, which will be needed as the numbers of web users and connected devices multiply.

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