CYBERSPACE – Because it is “virtual,” it is easy to assume that the amount of space available via internet technology is limitless. However, according to experts from research firm Frost & Sullivan, that’s not only inaccurate, it’s going to lead to a real estate crunch if things don’t change.The “thing” that most specifically needs to change, according to a recent analyst briefing, is the internet protocol being used to connect tech toys ranging from smartphones to IPTV to P2P to email to websites and beyond.

Today’s internet protocol version is 4 (IPv4), which Frost & Sullivan claim restricts the service potential of multimedia and data communication content. Users of the new mobile IPv6, on the other hand, find that telecommunications providers can more readily support their services while simultaneously expanding further into areas including ring tones and television.

According to research firm IDC Corp., 17 billion devices are expected to be hooked to the internet by 2012, by which time Sam Masud, Frost & Sullivan’s primary analyst for carrier infrastructure, says “we estimate the world will be out of IPv4 addresses.”

About one-third of the 4.3 billion available IPv4 addresses are already occupied and more than another third are assigned to projects under development. IPv6, on the other hand, has 2^128 addresses available, each of which read 128 bits long, as compared to IPv4’s mere 32 bits.

Very few companies have decided to make the move yet, but the Office of Management and Budget has announced that mid 2008 is the deadline for all federal networks to be able to send and receive IPv6 packet. Ironically, a mere 30-percent of all internet service providers will support the new protocol by 2010, with 30-percent support from user networks expected by 2012, according to a study released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the RTI International that focused on IPv6 migration.