IPv4 Distribution Policy Signals Need for a More Sustainable Solution


Posted January 6, 2020 by ipv4mall

Recently, the RIR for the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia, namely RIPE, approved a policy concerning the distribution of the decreasing stock of its IPv4 addresses.

 
Recently, the RIR for the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia, namely RIPE,
approved a policy concerning the distribution of the decreasing stock of its IPv4
addresses. As per this policy, companies needing RIPE’s addresses should apply at
the earliest. Those who apply for these addresses in that way will be served
before the others who do so. There will be a waiting list, although it is unclear as
to how long they would have to wait to get the required resources.
Moreover, as per the policy, “The size of the allocation made will be exactly one
/24.” The said block comprises 256 addresses, which is precisely what applying
companies would get if they surpass the others in the waiting list.
RIPE seems like doing whatever it can to lessen the impact of the IPv4 depletion
phenomenon. Still, one doubts whether these measures will solve the regional
IPv4 shortage. The allocation of 256 IP addresses per company might not suffice
for those needing a steady address supply for their processes.
A much more sustainable option would be to find a means to utilize the untapped
resources, which are beyond the jurisdiction of RIRs.
According to the newest data, over 800 million addresses are yet to be used
across the world. These addresses that belong to various companies were
gathered when the scarcity was not an issue. At that time, regional internet
registries were collecting big address blocks in a rather easy way.
Once the address supply started to dwindle in RIRs, especially after ARIN’s
resources ran out, a secondary IPv4 market started to be popular. Still, the
unregulated, often non-transparent nature of this market should be more
attractive than today to companies with too many unused addresses.

Industry experts feel that the market should function better, and proposes this
improvement as the solution. If it seems like a murky market, companies are
making the IPv4 address leasing process trustworthy and transparent to change
this nature.
The policy announced back in July 2019 would take effect only after RIPE regards
it as a necessary one. This is to say that it would not take effect provided that
there is no imminent risk of IPv4 depletion. This might occur, as the registrar has
seen the supply reducing in the last few years, but the future is unpredictable.
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Issued By IPv4Mall
Country Belize
Categories Technology , Web Hosting
Tags how to get ipv4 , ipv4 addresses , ipv4 block , ipv4 market , ipv4 ripe
Last Updated January 6, 2020