by Charles Miller

Previously I have written of how all the internet's version 4 IP addresses had been used up, and yet the internet still continues to function. The reason for this is that new version 6 editions of IP addresses are being quietly rolled out. The migration from IPv4 to IPv6 has already been underway for over 25 years. If you are reading this, then you might already be using the newer version IP address without realizing it. As of 2026, somewhere around 40% global adoption has been achieved, with full transition expected to be complete by 2050.

This is being seamlessly accomplished, thanks to a technology named "dual stack" that enables networks and devices to use both the old IPv4 and the new IPv6 protocols simultaneously. Your computer or mobile device gets assigned both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address, and then it uses whichever one is needed to connect to the "destination."

The "destination" is someplace on the internet, such as Gmail or Netflix. On their end, the site gmail.com already has two IP addresses, one old and one new, and now you may check your email by using either one. Almost all the internet's most popular web sites are already updated to use dual stack, while over half of the internet's web sites making up the less-trafficked sites are not yet updated. It is anticipated that eventually the old IPv4 addresses will be discontinued, but that could be many decades in the future. Remember though, an unknown Danish politician was supposed to have been the first who said "Det er vanskeligt at spaa, især naar det gælder Fremtiden" (It's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future).

Right now if you open your web browser to visit one of the IP address mapping sites such as "whatismyipaddress.com" what you are almost certain to see is that your computer or portable device already has two IP addresses, one IPv4 and the other IPv6. If so, then your Internet Service Provider is up to date, and your device is already using the newer IPv6 whenever it needs to.

All over the world, internet providers are replacing servers and other equipment as it wears out or as they can afford the cost of the upgrades. Any time any network hardware is replaced, the new hardware is upgraded to dual stack both IPv4 and IPv6. You already knew this was the reason Megacable or Telmex recently replaced the old modem you had used for years… right?

I suspect that years from now there might still be some small internet providers, such as the "Hooterville General Store and Internet" that will not have yet updated their old hardware from version 4 to version 6. The planned migration from IPv4 to IPv6 allows for that. Fortunately, the Internet Service Providers here in Mexico are well along with the process of updating their entire networks.

It is also possible that some old IPv4 addresses could become coveted and using them not discontinued for many decades if ever. When I was a boy, one of my father's friends delighted in showing off his first oil company "courtesy" card from the 1950s. It was paper, and his account number had only four digits. He was not pleased in the 70s when the small local oil company was merged into Texaco and they sent him a plastic card with a 14 digit account number.

It is easy to imagine that some owners of short IPv4 addresses might want to keep them. Google might want to hold onto "8.8.8.8" rather than switching over entirely to their new IPv6 address which is "2001:4860:4860::8888. That is really a vanity question and would likely go the same way as a radio ad I heard frequently when I was a teenager. It said "Pick up the phone now, and dial five fives!" I did not hear that ad again after the phone company started requiring seven digits and not five be dialed to make a local call. I guess that is how it goes with progress. But as I wrote several weeks ago in the first column of this series: Blessedly, nobody is required to know anything at all about these IP addresses in order to use the internet.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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