Dot Gov Must Act on Looming Dot Everything Shortage

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says businesses aren’t working hard enough to promote an upgrade to the current Internet protocol, which is set to run out of IP addresses by 2011. So it’s pushing for governments to spend more on IPv6 equipment, software and services, as well as fund R&D for the new protocol, reports PC World.

The US is requiring government agencies to make their networks IPv6 compatible by next month, China is working on IPv6 infrastructure, and South Korea plans to convert its infrastructure by 2010. Unlike the current IPv4, IPv6 would allow for enough IP addresses to network millions of devices per square meter of the earth. (More internet stories.)