For two decades Indian ISPs have handed out free IPv4 addresses, making home hosting and gaming a breeze. As users grew, operators introduced NAT, stripping public IPs and forcing layered address sharing.

The table shows India receives only 1.13% of global IPv4 space, far below the United States’ surplus. With 77% of users already on IPv6, the country faces a stark choice: keep stacking NAT layers or adopt the modern protocol.

Experts argue that the designers of IPv6 built a future‑proof backbone. Devices worldwide now support it, yet debate lingers because of nostalgic reliance on NAT for perceived security.

Switching to IPv6 would eliminate address scarcity, simplify routing, and unlock direct device connectivity, making India’s internet infrastructure more scalable and secure today.