Why IPv4 Address Depletion is a Major Challenge

With the passage of time, with the rise of Internet connections, the fact of having more and more connected devices, more operators available, we also find certain problems. One of them is the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses . There are not enough to cover the demand for the next few years. That presents some difficulties, as we will see.

IPv4 addresses are exhausted and it is a major problem

Why IPv4 Address Depletion is a Major Challenge

The IPv4 protocol is used to interconnect networks on the Internet. It was implemented in the 1980s and is limited to a number of unique addresses. Those addresses 40 years ago were more than enough. In fact the amount used was minimal. 20 years ago or 10 years ago, more of the same. However, all this has changed in recent years and fewer and fewer addresses are available. This made it necessary to start implementing IPv6.

But this has important consequences for the Internet operators themselves. It must be taken into account that the fact of being able to offer fiber optics, for example, represents a significant economic investment. Part of the budget has to go to the physical deployment of the fiber. But of course, you also have to take into account the depletion of IPv4 addresses and their cost.

Migrating from IPv4 to IPv6 has a cost for the operators. They need to provide an IP address to each customer and at the same time control the expense that is going to involve. 40 years ago we were talking about more than four billion different addresses. More than enough if we take into account the population of that time and, especially, the number of connected devices. Internet companies have had no major difficulties in this regard so far.

With IPv6, we can say that these IP addresses are practically unlimited . There would be no problem connecting a lot of devices and having plenty of connections for every inhabitant of the planet. But we return to the main problem: the cost and difficulty of migrating from IPv4 to IPv6.

In addition to the cost of migrating, you have to consider compatibility. As indicated by Betanews , it is necessary that there be compatibility in all communication elements, such as devices, networks and content. This forces service providers to maintain, at least for the moment, IPv4 resources for clients.

IPv4

Acquire additional IPv4 addresses, an option for carriers

This that we mentioned forces in many cases the operators to acquire additional IPv4 addresses to be able to cope with the demand. The depletion of addresses means that those that are available have a higher cost. This is going to suppose an additional cost to the telephone companies.

The operators therefore seek to acquire new IPv4 addresses from third parties, at the same time that they plan to accelerate the process of conversion to IPv6, which also involves a significant cost.

If we think about the rural world , many regional operators are faced with the problem of a shortage of IPv4 addresses and the need to acquire them from third parties. The fact that technology reaches more and more areas means that there are also more and more customers. The more the subscriber quota grows, the more the problem and the urgency of the addresses accelerates.

In short, the depletion of IPv4 addresses presents significant difficulties for operators. The transition to IPv6 is not easy either and represents a significant cost for telephone companies.