Imagine having a cell phone or mobile device that cannot get online.
Imagine a computer than cannot get on the internet.
Imagine a world without WiFi.
No Hulu.
No Facebook.
No Pinterest.
The internet becomes a hot commodity in a sort of apocalyptic adventure…in real life.
If these scenarios sound like science fiction, keep reading.
The internet is running out of space. Having been created in 1973 and launched in 1983 as an experiment, the internet wasn’t designed to be a worldwide sensation. In fact the people behind the first versions weren’t sure how much space it needed; what if the internet is a fad? Turns out they were wrong about it being a fad.
Turns out they were wrong about 4.3 billion internet addresses being enough to sustain internet usage. While it may have been enough space in 1973 or 1983, by 1996 the world needed 340 trillion trillion trillion internet addresses – yes that’s three trillions or 340 plus 10 to a really big power. That STILL wasn’t enough IP addresses to support the growth.
IP addresses are finite like phone numbers so the internet has experienced upgrades through the years.
On June 6, 2012 Google and their internet partners launched IPv6 which will allow for the internet to continue expansion around the globe…at least for now.
