The internet is set to run out of web addresses by the end of the year unless action is taken warn experts.

The Number Resource Organisation (NRO), which oversees the allocation of all Internet number resources, says that less than 10 percent of available IPv4 addresses (the protocol that provides the numbers assigned to each computer) remain unallocated.

It is reported that the small pool of existing IP addresses is nearing exhaustion, and unless steps are taken now, network operations around the world will be impacted.

Experts developed a solution to the problem years ago – the alternative protocol, IPv6 – but users have been wary about adopting the new system. (IPv6 includes a modern numbering system that provides a much larger address pool than IPv4).

"With less than 10 percent of the entire IPv4 address range still available for allocation to RIRs, it is vital that the Internet community take considered and determined action to ensure the global adoption of IPv6", says Axel Pawlik, Chairman of the NRO.

"The limited IPv4 addresses will not allow us enough resources to achieve the ambitions we all hold for global Internet access. The deployment of IPv6 is a key infrastructure development that will enable the network to support the billions of people and devices that will connect in the coming years," he added.

The NRO is urging all Internet stakeholders to take immediate action by planning for the necessary investments required to deploy IPv6.