The Internet will soon run out of addresses if changes are not made, reports Nader Habib from Shanghai Even the Internet is getting crowded. Hans Vestberg, CEO of telecoms equipment maker Ericsson, predicted earlier this year that 50 billion devices would be connected to the Internet by 2020 -- everything from phones to media players to game consoles. Meanwhile, Reuters reported Rod Beckstrom, CEO of ICANN, the body that allocates Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, as saying that the world would run out of Internet addresses unless organisations move to a new IP version. He said that only eight or nine per cent of IPv4 addresses were left, and companies needed to switch to the new standard -- IPv6 -- as quickly as possible. The IPv4 version came out in 1992. Johan Wibergh, head of Business Unit Networks at Ericsson, explained to Al-Ahram Weekly at the Ericsson Business Forum held last week at the Swedish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo that the time to migrate IPv6 is now. He added that all new devices are equipped to make the transition by "changing the configuration of the devices to work on version 6". The overcrowding of the Internet is the direct result of the increasing role of information and the Internet in everyday life. To Wibergh, telecommunications are as important as water, roads or any other infrastructure. He pointed out that every 10 per cent increase in mobile voice penetration triggers a GDP growth of 0.6 per cent. He said that increasing broadband efficiency will not only affect total GDP, but will also help make life easier by cutting time spent in travel, decreasing pollution and increasing opportunities. He cited that in Africa good communication helped fishermen find what harbour in which to sell their fish. In Senegal, it could help a man who sells camels to find buyers before travelling three days to reach the local market. "Broadband technology is beneficial for both rural and urban areas," Wibergh said, explaining that the Internet can be used for anything from trade to educational purposes. According to Douglas Gilstrap, head of strategy at Ericsson, an integral part of upgrading the Internet is the replacement of existing "Third Generation" (3G) networks with the new "Long Term Evolution" (LTE) standard -- a high performance air interface for cellular mobile telephony. "We are now working with operators in different countries. They have to understand the technology, and in turn they will work with different governments to change the existing infrastructure or enhance telecommunication services." "The future will be in the smart phones," Wibergh said, explaining that they can offer lots of applications that can facilitate the lives of users. Moreover, for those who cannot afford personal computers, a mobile phone costing no more than $150 can allow them to access the Internet, he added. Sooner or later, the Internet will be more firmly integrated with everyday needs. So one could, for example, examine the content of one's fridge, or one's security system, online, or turn on the air conditioning from the web before getting home. "The whole system is not deployed yet, but there are plenty of individual ideas." Meanwhile, Wibergh assured that deploying new information technology carries neither environmental nor health hazards. According to him, experiments have not proven that radio waves from mobile phones are harmful. In the same framework he said that Ericsson's corporate responsibility policies dictate that it collects all outdated devices, network equipment and base stations for recycling. He noted that talking on a mobile phone everyday for 24 hours a day for a whole year is only equal to what a car emits in carbon dioxide in an hour. "This fits in with the theme of the 2010 World Expo, of 'Better city, better life'."
