The Internet is on the verge of running out of growth potential. It is estimated that by September 2011, the four billion IP addresses the Internet is currently equipped with will be taken by users, making it harder for new devices and users to get connected.

The Internet is built around the Internet Protocol Addressing Scheme version 4 (iPv4) which was designed in the 1970’s. At the time, the four billion addresses seemed to be more than enough to accommodate the world. However, the Internet’s growth and the ability for accessories outside of computers to connect to the web, has lead to the depletion of available IP addresses. The IP addresses are the unique codes that enable users to access the Internet using computers, smart phones, cars, and other developing technologies.

According to a CNN report, there is a replacement system available, the iPv6, that would create trillions more addresses. The system is ready to go but businesses have not been proactive in adapting their technology to the new system. Technology experts are worried that within the next 18 months, there will be an Internet crunch and people will not be able to connect new devices to cyberspace.

Apple’s (NYSE:APPL) iPhone as well as the other smart phones’ popularity around the world has made the problem grow that much faster. Many businesses are still sitting idle waiting to see what happens. The major Internet entities like Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and YouTube have already committed to the iPv6 system but smaller businesses are adapting more slowly. This leads experts to worry the Internet will soon become limited in its growth potential and in light of the recession woes companies are still facing, businesses need to act.

Cost is a factor for many of the businesses slow to move forward. However, the faster one acts to upgrade, the less they will need to pay. When crunch time is upon us, costs to upgrade will be significantly higher. Both systems are designed to work together but there have already been reports of glitches. Businesses that wait too long to upgrade may find more problems on the horizon when customers can not connect to them, potentially costing them valuable profits.