The addresses were owned by the Canadian company Nortel which has gone bankrupt. Microsoft paid 7.5 million for 666,000 addresses, that works out to about $11.25 a pop. This seems to be the first major sale of a big block of IP addresses since ICANN announced that it had run out. Microsoft is said to have outbid four other groups trying to get the addresses. What does it mean for you? Not much. At least not yet. But if tech companies are slow to upgrade from the IPv4 standard that these addresses exist on to the IPv6 standard (which, we’re told, will last us until the end of time itself) then a reselling market could take place which would drive up costs.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
