IPv4 Will Not Abandon Us. At Least Not For Now

IPv4 will Not Abandon Us

IPv4 addresses are exhausted. It is a fact. And the jump to the new IPv6 protocol generates discomfort, insecurity and doubts because, although the coexistence of both protocols is a reality, the design with which IPv6 was proposed is not compatible with that of the current protocol. All this coupled with the fact that it is increasingly difficult to get IPv4 addresses, makes life for operators a little more complicated at the moment.

The design with which IPv6 was raised is not compatible with that of the current protocol

There are about 4 billion unique IP addresses in what we know as IPv4. However, the explosion in the use of tools, equipment, servers, etc. has meant that, for some time now, their availability has been staggering.

This situation has caused the purchase price of IP addresses to skyrocket and buyers need to look for alternatives to extend the life of the IPv4 addresses they have or look for new formulas, apart from the traditional purchase, to expand their usability, either by renting them or well looking for new strategies that slow down the jump to IPv6 until the new protocol is finally established.

This means that until the full implementation of IPv6 it will be necessary to run and work with both protocols at the same time because, despite being standardized, IPv6 is not yet fully implemented and it is estimated that only when 95% of the protocol is executed, it will be able to abandon the previous one, IPv4.

The shortage of IPv4 addresses is causing operators to desperately search for options that allow them to continue growing without the cost getting out of hand. In this way, operators have two new concerns to face: how to get new IPv4 addresses at a good price (which is already beginning to be a problem) and prepare for the coexistence of both protocols.

But the end of IPv4 addresses is not that close. While the assignable blocks are finished, there are a lot of unused addresses on the other

IPv4 will not abandon us. At least not for now

During the two previous appointments dedicated to the IPv4 – IPv6 transition, we saw how much of the transition depends on the ISPs and what economic interests are behind this epochal transit for the Web infrastructure. Beyond these considerations, we must also make a reflection on the actual lack of IPv4. Some considerations are collected below, in what is the third and last appointment dedicated to the IPv4 – IPv6 topic.

On several Web pages and, at times, it was possible to read some alarming proclamations deriving from the Internet industry and from big IT sector companies, who complain about the near death of the IPv4 protocol due to lack of addresses.

If it is true that many of the international registries have forfeited the assignment of the latest IP blocks available in IPv4 technology, it is also true that we must not make unnecessary alarms, as the assignable IP addresses will be terminated, but those in circulation and reusable still so many.

The real situation of IPv4 addresses

As mentioned in the previous meeting, ISPs are somehow incentivized to misuse the IPv4 addresses at their disposal.

Until now, in fact, the providers that showed to maintain a large IP space were able to obtain a better economic condition in the procurement of new addresses and this has led to providers who have a supply of IP addresses equal to about five or six times those really necessary for managing your network.

There is therefore a widespread under-use of IP addresses in circulation and this shows that the end of the assignment of the blocks of part of the international registers cannot coincide with the end of the existence of IPv4 itself.

This stockpile, in fact, will ensure that IPv4 addresses remain in vogue for a few more years after the end of the assignment, not to mention that the stock also includes free addresses that derive from the change in the use of services.

Here is an example: if there is currently a customer who demonstrates the use of 64 IP addresses, it is not certain that in the future this same customer will cancel his services, leaving the 64 IP addresses assigned to him free. At the same time, if we consider an average assignment of 4 IP addresses for SMEs, we understand how these 64 free IP addresses can be safely reused to manage another 16 customers of this caliber.

IPv4 addresses, therefore, are not like water which, once it flows away, is not recoverable, but they are a reusable resource. This fact makes many people try to facilitate the need for many people to stay on the addresses for a longer period of time, one of which is IPXO, an IPv4 addresses sales and rental platform that will be launched in the next 3 months.

Faced with these considerations, one wonders what sense all this makes for hosting providers. First of all, hosting providers must understand that the actual shutdown of IPv4 networks takes at least ten years before it takes place completely.

Second, you need to understand that there will be many years when unallocated resources can still be purchased.

Finally, you need to better prepare yourself for the situation, before all of this occurs, wondering if in the future you want to rent IP addresses from your competitors or prefer to be the leader of what will be a promising sector, renting IP addresses to your competitors on the market. Yes, renting IP addresses is possible. There are some marketplaces out there. But if you want to monetize IPv4 or, specifically, get involved with IPv4 lease activities, IPXO will be the best platform for you. This platform, planned to be launched at a mid of April 2021, will provide a marketplace that is not only secure, but also ensures the privacy of your data and prevents your addresses from being added to the blocklist.