[Apologies for duplicate e-mails] Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that from 1 January 2007 we will accept requests for 4-byte (32-bit) AS Numbers. The request form and supporting notes are available in the RIPE Document Store at: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/asnrequestform.html http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/asnsupport.html Assignments will come from the following range: 3.0 - 3.1023 ASN32 objects will appear in the RIPE Database from 1 January 2007. Their format is different from the current 16-bit ASNs. The new format is described in these documents: http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-michaelson-4byte-as-representation... http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-uijterwaal-rpsl-4byteas-ext-01.txt The introduction of 32-bit AS Numbers may have an effect on tools that query the RIPE Database or those based on RPSL. Kind Regards, Dominic Spratley Registration Services Manager RIPE NCC