The Choice: IPv4 Exhaustion or Transition to IPv6
The exhaustion of the remaining pool of unallocated IPv4 addresses is approaching within the next few years and this may create some problems for the Internet, unless we make some smart choices. These decisions need to be planned well in advance if we want to ensure that the changes are as trouble-free, painless and inexpensive as possible.
There is not too much time left; in fact the consumption of IPv4 addresses seems to be accelerating. If you’re not following this situation and the possible implications, now is the time to pay attention: waiting till the last minute will become very expensive, while early movers will have new and/or increased business opportunities.
This is going to affect the business of existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and to a greater extent, at a certain point in the time, the creation of new ISPs. As a consequence it may have a deeper impact in developing regions (Africa, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean) where the penetration of the Internet is not yet so widespread.
If your business uses Internet, it is going to be affected, sooner or later. Whether you act now or later will affect the impact on your business.
There are several potential ways to minimise the problems posed by IPv4 exhaustion, and it is becoming clear that several of these solutions will be adopted in parallel.
Complete paper available here.
