The value of IPv4 addresses is expected to rise as companies are seeking to grab the remaining addresses ahead of the switch to IPv6, according to internet gurus. The prediction came from the Internet Governance Project (IGP) following Microsoft’s move to buy 666,624 IP address for a cool $7.5 million, or $11.25 per address. Companies wanting IPv4 addresses have now been forced to seek alternatives to the regular sources – the internet registrars – as addresses run out. Addresses are expected to be exhausted in six months. Many businesses are not ready to switch to the next generation IPv6 and neither are their customers, if you ask me. This has sent administrators looking for ways to get their hands on some addresses. Microsoft found its latest batch in a fire sale from Nortel as the company went through bankruptcy proceedings in a Delaware court. My question is, even as companies switch over to IPv6 they will still need IPv4 addresses as part of the “dual stack” migration process, will this push prices up or down.
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