The global system of networks that comprise the Internet is running out of IP addresses. In the very near term—weeks or a few months—IP exhaustion will not have any real consequences, but long term, this issue will significantly impact service providers. But first, let’s make one thing clear: the Internet will not will grind to a halt. Websites will not shut down or falter. However, this does not mean that there is not an issue. Service providers will ultimately need to address the problem and make the transition to IPv6 to avoid costly capital expenditures and continue with their business plans. Companies that fail to migrate will face a number of costly options:
- Buying expensive equipment to cobble together stop-gap, low-performance solutions
- Acquiring IP address space at a potentially exorbitant price
And while IPv4 exhaust is an issue, we see this as an opportunity for service providers to educate and help businesses, educational institutions and residential users versus just simply solving an address problem. To successfully migrate to IPv6, service providers need to focus on how can they can make this transition as painless as possible for their customers instead of just looking at the is as one of are we ready?
What exactly does IP address exhaustion really mean for businesses and consumers? Ray Mota discusses IPv6 and the implications for the market.