Web could run out of addresses by 2010

A survey, conducted by the European Commission, found that few companies are prepared for the switch from the current naming protocol, IPv4(Internet Protocol version 4), to the new regime, IPv6(Internet Protocol version 6). Web experts have warned that we could run out of internet addresses within the next two years unless more companies migrate to the new platform. The IPv4 protocol uses 32-bit addresses, which enables the web to support around 4.3 billion unique addresses. By contrast, IPv6 uses 128-bit web addresses, creating billions of possible new web addresses – experts estimate it could assign a unique address for every blade of grass on the planet.