We have long run out of IPv4 addresses to assign. The theoretical exhaustion of this ancient protocol occurred first in Europe and then in the United States, but for some reason we continue to cling to it and do not let it go. Although IPv6 began its official deployment more than a decade ago, a large part of the world wide web is still supported by IPv4.
This scenario has given rise to a curious phenomenon to cover demand: public addresses that were given out for free in the past are being resold at the price of gold. Amazon, which bought some of those IPs, has decided to pass part of the cost on to AWS customers, an act that could be followed by other providers.
You will have to pay for IPv4 addresses in AWS
The company explains in a blog post that starting February 1, 2024, all AWS public IPv4 addresses will be charged. Customers of Amazon's cloud computing platform will be required to pay $0.005 per hour for each assigned address, whether they are using it or not. The cost, although it may seem insignificant, should not go unnoticed.
The vendor claims that this change reflects its own spending and is aimed at boosting IPV6 adoption. As they point out on TechRadar, Amazon has been a big customer of IP resellers along with other players like Microsoft. However, it has seen the cost of acquiring a single IPv4 address rise by more than 300% in the last five years.
It should be noted that AWS customers who use IP addresses of their own, even if they are IPv4, will not have changes to their bill, that is, they will not have to pay additional charges. Let's remember that companies the size of Adobe, LinkedIn or Comcast use Amazon's cloud computing platform for some of their services and probably have IPv4 addresses on their property.
IPv6 has numerous advantages over IPv4. It is a 128-bit protocol that should ensure the growth of connected devices for many years to come. Furthermore, it has been created to optimize the routing process, process data packets more efficiently, improve network configurations and even be more secure.
Migrating from IPv4 to IPv6, however, it is not something that can be done from one day to the next. Companies must establish a scheme that contemplates a gradual tradition in which both protocols will possibly coexist for a while. As in any task of this type, depending on the size of the organization, time and money are required.
