* Mikael Abrahamsson
Panel discussion from INET in Denver regarding IPv4 transfer market.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v43CGqq70rM>
<https://www.ripe.net/ripe/policies/proposals/2013-03> discussion has ended, hoping for a positive outcome, and that ARIN (and other RIRs) adopt similar policy.
Interesting, thanks for the link!
We need an IPv4 market that is liquid but where we still assure that the seller of addresses have the right to sell them, and that the buyer is properly registered in the system (database needs to be in check).
There are conjecture/speculation regarding the existence or formation of an IPv4 «black market», which runs counter to the goal of keeping the registry up to date and correct. I think one could make the argument that 2013-03 would counteract this to some extent - the fewer hurdles need to be overcome in order to perform a "legit" transfer, in particular concepts like need evaluation, there is a reduced chance that that the transfer will done without informing the NCC. That said: I don't really consider 2013-03 a "transfer policy proposal". My motivation for making the proposal is to reduce the bureaucracy and paperwork required to operate my LIR and make assignments to my customers. I would still have made the proposal even if the current address policy didn't have any provisions allowing for transfers to begin with.
If 2013-03 is accepted, are there any other hurdles within RIPE when it comes to fairly clean and hassle-free transfer of addresses both inter-RIR and intra-RIR (where RIPE has rules that hinder, not that the other RIR has rules that hinder)?
For starters, there's no policy that allows transfer of PI blocks. So if an enterprise, who is not an LIR, wants to obtain/buy address space for PI-like use, they'd have to do it "in the shadows", so to speak. (They would have the option of joining the NCC in order to become a LIR, obtain the address space, and assign all of it to themselves though, but if they have no plans of ever making assignments to downstream customers, I suspect that's simply too many hoops to jump through for some.) Also, I don't think an existing PI holder could transfer his address space to a LIR (and convert it to PA in the process), which someone might want to do at some point. AIUI, the PI/PA distinction was put in place to limit fragmentation. One might wonder if it has any utility now that all the space has been handed out. Tore