If you haven't gotten an iPhone, registered your preferred web address, or otherwise secured your location on the internet, you might want to do so now. According to the European Commission in a recent survey of organizations, most have not upgraded to the new IPv6 internet protocols and are therefore hogging more than their fair share of internet addresses.
This means that if you want to own "SouthFloridaRocksTheMostbecausetheyhavecraiglivingthere.net," you could be shit out of luck next year. You see, if these groups don't upgrade to the newer standard, the number of total web addresses (IP addresses) will remain limited to 4 billion. We're almost there already.
Yep, there are nearly 4 billion connections to the internet (computers, network devices, your phone, etc.). That's pretty amazing on its own, really.
The upgrade from the older IPv4 to the current IPv6 requires equipment
upgrades, which is why many of those organizations surveyed by the EC
hadn't upgraded. The noncomplying organizations are mostly
governmental, educational, and so forth.
In some areas of
Europe and Asia, the pinch is already being felt as new addresses
within their geographies are becoming harder to obtain. Network slowdowns are becoming common in some areas and will begin to spread
to other areas and eventually the web at large as fewer and fewer
addresses are available.
As the web slows, of course, many of
those noncomplying networks may find themselves abandoned as the
commerce and business of the web bypasses or ignores them altogether in
order to keep itself up and running.
The new IPv6 standard
allows for many billions of addresses, better connectivity for VOIP
(Voice over IP) and similar technology, and even in slowing spam.
Most
Windows and Mac computers and devices have had this built in for
several years now, so it's not likely that your computer or phone is
outdated. The same might not be said for those at your local South
Florida school, college, or library, however.