Internet Upgrade Coming This Wednesday

In a few days IP addresses will undergo an upgrade: how will it affect you?

Every device that surfs the World Wide Web has an individual IP number or address. The current standard, IPv4, can accommodate four billion devices, which is a whole 3 billion less than the global population.

It is because of this IP deficiency on the current IPv4 standard that the internet will undergo an upgrade to a new standard, IPv6. The new standard can handle trillions of IP numbers or addresses, and according to a news.com.au report, will go live Wednesday at 12:01am GMT (9.01am AEST).

The new system endured testing last year, ahead of the World IPv6 launch, which will see web operators and co switch permanently from IPv4 to IPv6.

According to Leo Vegoda, a numbers resources manager for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, “most users shouldn’t notice anything. If ordinary internet users need to know stuff, then the technology isn’t right.”

However, people using equipment on the old standard might experience some “irritations,” Vegoda admitted.

By 2016, Cisco projects there will be 18.9 billion network connections – a significant increase from 2011’s 10.3 billion – and roughly translates to 2.5 connections per person. These connections include smartphones, tablets, notebooks, PCs and gaming consoles to name just a few.

Major internet service providers (ISPs) are prepared for the switchover, but over time home users may need to upgrade their modems and routers for compatibility’s sake.

The switch will also make it easier for different devices and networks to speak to one other. For this reason, big companies like Google, Facebook and Cisco are encouraging the move.
“Your current network running IPv4-based devices won’t be obsolete for some time,” Cisco’s Sampa Choudhuri said.

“However, if you haven’t already started making plans for the transition to IPv6, you should. The first step you should take is determining how and when to transition to the new internet protocol based on your business needs.”

Choudhuri advised those doing business with partners on an IPv6 network would benefit from migrating “sooner rather than later.”