Interview: Internet IP addresses not exhausted: ITU official

• Source: Xinhua
• [08:47 February 14 2011]
• Comments

The problem of IP address exhaustion already raised an alarm among experts more than 10 years ago, Zhao said. Many believed that under the current system the IP addresses would be exhausted and some solutions are needed.

Currently efforts are being made to develop IPv6 to increase the capacity of IP addresses from the present 32th power of 2 to 218 power of 2, another astronomical figure.

Zhao affirmed that the switch to IPv6 was indeed necessary. However, the transfer of billions of the present users to the new system will certainly encounter many new problems, such as investment, construction, application and transition.

The new global or national networks should be developed on the present basis, instead of building a a brand new system, he said.

IPv6 made its debut over 10 years ago and now it is still in experimental stage, Zhao said, China has made great strides in this area and has begun test use of IPv6.

Asked when will the internet users switch from IPv4 to IPv6, Zhao said this switch needs time, similar to the switch of China's mobile telephone from the second generation GSM to the third generation 3G.

Despite the enormous IP address capacity from the new system IPv6, Zhao emphasized, the system will sooner or later encounter the same problem of address exhaustion, if it follows the same path of address distribution as IPv4.

There are also other problems, such as the effective planning and development of national networks, network security and rational distribution of resources.

Zhao called for the establishment of an authoritative global mechanism which would discuss how to distribute IP addresses in a fairer, more just and more transparent way.

He proposed to take the "two-track" approach: i.e. allowing the market to control part of the resources, or the IPv4 model; and allocating another part of the addresses directly to the states which will formulate their own plans for development.

However, the repetition of mistakes under IPv4 must be avoided, he added.

The ITU is also concerned with internet management, endeavoring to find an appropriate solution. At a meeting in Mexico in October 2010, member states expressed the hope that ITU should continue to play a role in this area, he said.