IP addresses, which are somewhat like telephone numbers, allow machines in homes and offices to locate and communicate with one another over the global network. The evaporating supply of new addresses – which some estimates say could dry up in about three years – could drive up the price of Internet access as well as disrupt the growth and performance of the network, warn some experts.
By Ben Arnoldy, Christian Science Monitor
Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2007-08-03-ip-shortage_N.htm