Thousands of companies and millions of websites around the world are permanently deploying the next generation Internet Protocol, IPv6, giving the global network more room to grow.

World IPv6 Launch, organized by the Internet Society, begins today and is supported by the Number Resource Organization (NRO) and the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).

With IPv4 addresses running out this year, the industry had to act quickly to accelerate full IPv6 adoption or risk increased costs and limited functionality online for Internet users everywhere.

The switch to IPv6 occurred on Wednesday, when Internet operators switched to a new standard called IPv6 that allows for trillions of "IP" numbers or addresses, up from the current 4.3 billion.

Participants in World IPv6 Launch include Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Yahoo!, as well as home router manufacturers and Internet Service Providers in more than 100 countries.

The full transition will take several years, and old IPv4 devices and networks should continue to function as before.

"World IPv6 Launch is a permanent step forward to ensure the Internet can connect all the people in the world, for many years to come," said Leslie Daigle, Chief Internet Technology Officer for the Internet Society.