Though most users seek Internet addresses by typing easily identifiable world wide web names, the frenetic traffic behind the global computer network is governed by a number system that sets signposts in cyberspace.

"As this resource becomes exhausted, we see the days when people may try to hoard it," Paul Wilson, director-general of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) Pty Ltd said.The Brisbane-based APNIC, a non-profit Internet registry for the Asia-Pacific region, allocates Internet Protocol (IP) address space and autonomous system (AS) numbers regionally under the supervision of the global Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

Wilson said he foresaw no crisis or clogging arising from a number crunch but cautioned that judicious use of the architecture was crucial becauseof hectic growth and a voracious demand.

Although the Internet can potentially have as many as four billion addresses globally under the current 32-bit architecture that supports the Internet, in practical terms it has much less space.

The street gets narrower in the Asia-Pacific region because the United States and other nations which had a headstart have used up a great deal of the address space available. Wilson said APNIC had used up 50 per cent of the 100 million addresses it had in just five years and faced surging demand. If not used properly, the remaining addresses on hand could run out in a matter of months, he said.

The Asian region can get more space approved under a global allocation, and new technologies made it possible for wider use of an IP address but Internet service providers (ISPs) had to learn to manage their systems efficiently, Wilson said. He said global stability of the Internet also depended on how the regional ISPs, who were members of APNIC, used their networks. "There is aserious need for management of the remaining resources," Wilson said. "Stability of the Internet depends on service providers doing the right things." He said the Asian economic crisis had slowed down demand for Internet addresses but demand currently was showing signs of revival which called for more efficient management.

Things could change for the Internet in future with the emergence of a new Internet protocol called the IPV 6, which is expected to multiply the current numbering capacity. "Transition to IPV can take anything between five to seven years.