Plans are under way to allow owners of Internet addresses to trade them, as IPv4 addresses in particular become an increasingly scarce commodity. If successful, the plans could provide the incentive operators have been seeking to migrate their systems from IPv4 to the next generation, IPv6 (TM, 17 Jun, 2008). The plans are being devised by the world's five regional registries for IP addresses and other stakeholders, but the details have yet to be worked out. Axel Pawlik, managing director of RIPE NCC, the European registry for IP addresses, says any migration to IPv6 will be costly, and the sale of IPv4 addresses could cover those costs. "If someone moves to IPv6, they should be allowed to sell their right to the IPv4 addresses allocated to them," he says. He adds that the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is painfully slow.
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