The European Union has insisted that governments and industry work together to speed up the introduction of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

EU Commissioner Erkki Liikanen maintained that IPv6, which will create more internet addresses, is needed to cope with the boom in mobile and web-enabled devices.

The internet is currently running an older version of IP which has a finite number of addresses for users to connect to the web.

Liikanen called for the rapid introduction of IPv6 to ensure that it is in place before the number of addresses runs out in three to four years.

"IPv6 is a critical technology for enabling the convergence of the internet with mobile communications, an area where Europe leads the world," he said.

EU officials have meanwhile unanimously approved Spain's plan to boost internet usage and help Europe catch up with the US.

An EU summit will be held in Barcelona on 15 March to provide a political push towards the development of the internet in member nations.

On the agenda will be plans to promote the development of bandwidth and content, including the online provision of administrative, health and education services.