As stated on howstuffworks.com (What is an IP Address?), “Every device connected to the Internet is assigned an IP address. It is a 32-bit protocol because it consists of 4 binary bytes. However, they are usually written in decimal form for ease of use. The maximum decimal number allowed by a byte is 255 (or 11111111 in binary). The total number of unique 4-byte possibilities would therefore be 256^4, or about 4.3 billion addresses. The demand for IP addresses is increasing for reasons such as the low cost of computers, technological advancements, and improved accessibility. Prices of personal computers have fallen dramatically over the past 10 years, allowing more households to purchase them – 70% owned at least one in 2007, compared to 49% in 2001/2002 (statistics.gov.uk). . This only happened in the UK, but the same thing happened globally. Technological advancements have allowed mobile phones to connect to the Internet, greatly increasing the number of devices that connect to them. Internet access via mobile phones has increased as 3G networks allow a decent download speed of up to 14 Mbps, compared to 114 Kbps for 2G. Accessibility to computers has also been improved, with the general public being competent, unlike a specialist. This is due to the development of GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces). The graphical interface means that there is no need to enter commands into the computer using a terminal, but rather click a button, which is convenient as it avoids having to learn a new language. People with disabilities can also use the computer, thanks to specialized software that comes with recent operating systems, such as a narrator, screen magnifier, and voice recognition software. An increase in w..... . middle of paper ......Translation Works [Online] Available at http://computer.howstuffworks.com/nat.htm [Accessed November 1, 2009] NAT diagram from Dan's Electronics and Computers blog. Routers, Firewalls, and Network Address Translation (NAT)… uh, I'm confused [Online] Available at http://www.zippyreviews.com/consumer_electronics_computers_blog/computer-peripherals-and-accessories/routers-firewalls- and-network -address-translation-nat [Accessed November 3, 2009] The Telegraph, 2008. Internet will run out of IP addresses by 2010, warns Vint Cerf [Online] Available at http://www.telegraph.co .uk/news/worldnews/3076933/Internet-will-run-out-of-IP-addresses-by-2010-warns-Vint-Cerf.html [Accessed November 5, 2009]COMPUTERWORLD, 2006. What you need to know about IPv6 [Online] Available at http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9001770/What_you_need_to_know_about_IPv6 [Accessed November 5 2009]