4.3 Billion internet addresses...not enough!

According to The New York Times, anywhere from 12 to 18 months, the quota of 4.3 billion internet addresses will be filled. This number was set in 1977, and seemed enough at the time. (Though they new it would be growing.)

The article states, "I.P. addresses are the unique sequence of numbers assigned to each Web site, computer, game console or smartphone connected to the Internet. They are distinct from domain names, which identify Web sites, like nytimes.com.

“There are 4.3 billion addresses, and a lot of people have more than one,” said Leo Vegoda, manager of number resources at Icann. “And there are seven billion people on the planet. That’s a big mismatch.”

The rapid expansion of Internet adoption in Asia has sped things up even more."

Apparently they have everything under control, so there shouldn't be much to worry about. Unless of course, the solutions take longer than expected. Many different potential problems have been recorded on various websites.

arstechnica.com states, "Without access to more IP addresses, service providers are forced to have their customers share an address. For most types of communication, that's a workable solution, but it makes it much harder for two end-users to communicate directly, such as when making a VoIP call, video chatting, or transferring files directly using an instant messaging program, or through a peer-to-peer filesharing system."

For more information, visit

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/technology/15internet.html?_r=2&hp

and

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/river-of-ipv4-addresses-officially-runs-dry.ars