Total Telecom today reports that it has been an extraordinary decade for the Internet, encompassing an economic and dot.com boom and bust period. Alongside a comprehensive restructuring of global communications, this has generated a set of changes that have transformed the way we now work and play.

In 1998 there seemed to be nothing left in the technology landscape that could serve our emerging needs for communications in the same way as the Internet. Yet, while very little of the Internet that exists today was accurately predicted back then, some of the problems we encountered remain today.

A good example is the availability of Internet Protocol addresses. In 1998, we were already aware of the limited availability of IPv4 addresses and, as a result, an upgraded version called IPv6 was developed. However, 10 years on and the majority of Internet infrastructure still runs on IPv4, and it is forecasted that we will run of these addresses by 2011.

Internet technologies have changed dramatically in the last 10 years, with an explosion in the uptake of groundbreaking applications, Web 2.0 and social networking offerings. These developments have radically impacted the way organisations and individuals use the Internet.

Increasingly consumers and business are looking to take advantage of these life and business enhancers on the move, and this is driving huge latent demand for fast Internet to all mobile devices.

With technologies in development at the moment to bring fast Internet to all mobile devices, the potential for the mobile Internet just keeps expanding. Coupled with an increasing reliance on mobile devices for Internet access - as society becomes more mobile and with the growth of converged and wireless communications and upcoming cloud services - the potential is catalysed further.

Technologies like LTE and WiMAX will offer speeds of around 100 Mbps. These technologies will provide users with enhanced speed, global standards and an IP address for every piece of equipment. Consumers and business users alike will benefit from high-speed, mobile networks based on Internet protocol that offer fixed DSL-like speeds anywhere the 4G network reaches.

This demand for faster mobile broadband access by business users alone is a strong driver. Market research firm, Chadwick Martin Bailey predicts that more than one third of IT decision makers in large enterprises plan on using WiMAX technology within the next year.

Enterprises are recognising the clear business benefits because high speed broadband opens the floodgates to a range of business applications and features, and deploying mobile enterprise applications increases employee productivity, quick decision making and availability – key drivers in a constrained economy.

Many enterprises see mobile broadband as an extension of the network itself and are looking at how to enable mobile networks with access to their company applications such as enterprise research planning, customer relationship management and inventory.

Alongside the growth of mobile Internet use, converged communications and expansion in the uses of the mobile and fixed Internet itself, there is also an emerging growth in what is known as the 'pervasive Internet' - edge of network technologies that will allow any device to connect to the Internet, with many well-known examples emerging around the 'connected home' or 'connected business.'

This expansion of the Internet's remit is about to explode, but here is that same potential problem as that of a decade ago - all these technologies will require IP addresses.

This is the major challenge posed by the rapid expansion of the Internet, and a potential limitation on current and future Internet innovation. Not only does the global economy depend on the worldwide availability of the Internet, but as individuals we have grown increasingly dependent on online services.

Accelerated IPv6 uptake is a must if we are to avoid arrested development of Internet growth and innovation.

The move to IPv6 will provide billions of further addresses through 128-bit addressing, which allows 50 billion, billion addresses for every person on the planet. Islands of IPv6 are already in use, but infrastructure support must be addressed in time for IPv6 to fulfil its predicted role as the catalyst for the next stage of Internet development.

The immediate challenge lies in making content available in IPv6 using the processes and mechanisms already available to ensure that service providers and content providers build adequate experience and expertise in good time.

If we are to benefit from the full potential of the Internet as we move into the next decade, both government and private stakeholders need to act now.