The internet has undergone extraordinary growth over the past decade, to the point where it's running out of addresses.

Every device linked to the internet – not only computers, but also mobile phones, gaming consoles, digital TVs and even cars with sat-nav systems, for example – has been assigned a number that lets it connect with the rest of the devices on the network. These numbers, or IP addresses, are critical for the operation of the internet – without them it simply could not work, as devices would be unable to address or talk with one another effectively.

The biggest threat that the internet faces today is that we're running out of IP addresses. The number of unassigned addresses under the current system – IP version 4 or IPv4 for short – will soon drop through the 10 per cent mark, and is expected to run out completely in 2011.

The explosive growth of the internet and the rapid adoption of networked digital devices worldwide has led to this IP address exhaustion. The technical community has been aware of the issue for many years, recognising that a new protocol was required to meet future demand. It was with this in mind that the next-generation of IP addresses, IPv6, was developed in the mid-1990s.

Unlike IPv4 addresses, of which there are about 4.3 billion in total, IPv6 addresses have a longer format, allowing for about a trillion trillion addresses in total, or 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 to be precise. That's more than enough to ensure that internet development continues at the same pace it has for the past ten years.

The uptake of IPv6 addresses has so far been slow, but it is paramount that ISPs, governments and private companies now make it a priority to accelerate adoption. Only by ensuring that all devices connected to the internet are compatible with IPv6, can we stay connected and safeguard sustainable growth in the years to come.

互联网技术经历了过去10年的迅速增长， 以至于现在创建的网址已大大超出了互联网的承受范围。

连接到互联网的设备-不仅是电脑，而且手机，游戏机，数字电视，甚至汽车，例如安装了座驾导航系统的汽车就被指派一个数字

以便将其连接到其它的网络设备。这些数字或IP地址，对于互联网的运作是至关重要的-没有它们，互联网根本无法工作。 因为没有了它们，系统无法定位，相互之间也无法进行有效交谈。

当今互联网面临的最大威胁是，现在创建的网址已大大超出了互联网的承受范围。若使用现有系统--IP版本4（简称为IPv4）,在不久的将来，未分配的网址数量将减少百分之十。IP版本4预计在2011年运行。