This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of a third party.

There’s a big problem that isn’t just coming; it is already here. The problem? The Internet is running out of IP addresses. Since 1981 IPv4, internet protocol version 4, has been the foundation for most of our Internet communications. It has worked just fine for 30 years but the rapid growth of the Internet has resulted in a huge number of IP addresses being used up. The demand has finally reached the point that there is a greater need for IP addresses than IPv4 can provide. In other words, we’ve run out of IP addresses.

That’s where IPv6 comes in. The basis for IPv6 was published in 1998; before the urgent need for it even existed. It not only offers greater capacity but adds some critical new features that simply aren’t available with IPv4. Among the improvements: it simplifies address assignment and network renumbering. This translates into more efficient processing by routers and network switches. That’s a good thing.

There’s more good news. IPv6 essentially creates a parallel, independent network from IPv4. It is already supported by numerous devices and operating systems and can be used across all environments. That results in both IPv4 and IPv6 being able to be deployed at the same time. While it is true that exchanging traffic between the two networks requires translator gateways, most current computer operating systems have already implemented software for transparent access to both networks.

IPv6 means content will be able to reach more people and devices around the world, and given the fact that new IPv4 addresses are close to being unavailable, the sooner the IPv6 transition occurs the sooner a host of new IP addresses will become available. That’s good for the Internet and for those of us who rely on it.

AT&T knows how important IPv6 will be for us all, and they have begun a concerted effort to educate Internet users on it. As part of that they have created the following info graphic that we are happy to share with you: