Melbourne, June 17 : The Internet will run out of addresses in another two years as only 700 million separate addresses are remaining for allocation out of the 4.3 billion available on the present network.

When originally developed, Internet planners assumed four billion would serve the world when using the Internet, The Australian reports.

Seeing the situation, all internet users must move to an upgraded platform - called Internet Protocol version 6 - to access the 340 trillion-trillion-trillion new addresses needed to connect not only billions of new users but also the trillions of sensor devices that will require networking as technology takes greater control of people's lives.

"IPv6 provides more addresses in cyberspace than there are grains of sands on the world's beaches," news. com. au quoted Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society, as saying.

Geoff Huston, chief scientist of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, which manages address allocation within the region, said he hovered between calling the situation a challenge or a crisis.

A shortfall in addresses would stifle networking of small and simple devices for energy management for lighting, intelligent building systems and remote-control sensors. (ANI)