Existing IP addresses to be depleted soon - The Daily Yomiuri

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The existing pool of first-generation Internet Protocol addresses allocated around the world is set to dry up in the not-so distant future.

The last Internet Protocol version 4 address (IPv4) allocated to Japan is expected to run out probably in October, analysts said. To prepare for IPv4 depletion, Internet service providers have begun adopting a next-generation Internet protocol called IPv6, which may cause technical problems in some computers.

The IPv4 system, in use since 1981, has about 4.3 billion addresses that have been allocated globally by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers via five regional registries. More than 4.2 billion addresses have been used already. Japan has been allocated about 106 million.

In a final allocation of about 84 million addresses Friday, the ICANN emptied the entire pool of first-generation IP addresses. The Asia-Pacific region received about 16.8 million addresses in this last allocation.

The rising demand for IP addresses in the region--mainly due to growth in China and the increasing number of smartphone users in Japan--will deplete the IPv4 address pool by around October, analysts have estimated.

In advance of the exhaustion of IPv4, those involved in managing IP addresses decided on standards for the next-generation addresses at international conferences. In Japan, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has been preparing for the shift since 2008.

However, the changeover will require Internet service providers to make large capital investments, so preparations have not gone smoothly.

Also, Internet users with older operating systems may have trouble dealing with terminals that have next-generation IP addresses unless they adjust their computers' settings.