Hans Petter Holen Chairman RIPE Address Policy WG Dear Mr. Holen, Thank you for your e-mail dated 7 November seeking clarification about ETNO's input by means of our Expert Contribution EC064 on IPv4 address space allocation. Attached and below you will find a reply message from Michael Bartholomew, ETNO Director. In summary our views are that: - individual ETNO Members contribute substantially to RIPE and they are encouraged by the Association to do so - ETNO fully recognises and supports RIPE, its committees and decisions - ETNO actively participates in RIPE activities and contributes among others by inputting the collective, formally approved views of 41 operator companies - which would probably be difficult to match by means of direct participation. Best regards, Leo Debecker Executive Manager, Operations ------------ Hans Petter Holen, Chairman RIPE Address Policy WG Dear Sir, Thank you for the e-mail you sent to the RIPE Address Policy WG mailing list on 7 November and the concerns you expressed as RIPE Address Policy WG Chairman. ETNO (1) believes it would be of use to explain the rationale behind the IPv4 address space allocation contribution that you refer to. As you are aware, ETNO represents 41 major telecommunications operators from 34 European countries. Its Members participate in about 20 ETNO working groups addressing common areas of specific interest. One of these deals with Naming, Numbering and Addressing Issues (NANI WG) from a policy perspective. Its participants have recognised expertise in relevant policy issues, but are not necessarily involved in the day-to-day management of IP Addresses. The NANI WG is an important forum to discuss common E164 and IP related policy areas of specific interest to ETNO's membership. ETNO views are expressed in position papers, which are approved by its Members using formal processes and documented rules. These position papers are publicly available on ETNO's web site. It should be stressed that ETNO Members represent a significant share of large and extra large registries in Europe. These registries follow all the processes and policies issued by RIPE. In addition, ETNO Members rely on commonly and formally agreed ETNO position papers to provide input into the RIPE community. There is thus two-way interaction between RIPE and individual ETNO Members. As for ETNO itself: the Association and its Members are committed to contribute to the RIPE community, with the participation of an ETNO representative in RIPE meetings who disseminates feedback to ETNO Members. As mentioned, some ETNO Members participate at RIPE meetings as company representatives. ETNO encourages its Members to actively participate in RIPE. RIPE is the forum dealing with Address Policy issues for the RIPE region that includes Europe, and ETNO supports this through its contributions and participation. IP Addressing has become a major issue in recent years as all ETNO Members have established ISPs. IP addressing will increase in importance in the future as operators move towards the introduction of Next Generation Networks (NGN). In the past ETNO has adopted a number of positions on IP addressing policy issues, the last one being on the IPv4 HD ratio issue, which was unanimously approved. ETNO's position was communicated to the RIPE community through the RIPE Address Policy WG mailing list. This shouldn't be thought of as challenge to RIPE and it's working methods but as a supportive input. ETNO is of the opinion that by engaging within the RIPE community, delivering the joint concerns of its 41 Members and assisting in the development of an appropriate IP address policy, we act to the benefit all interested stakeholders - a role which ETNO is happy to fulfil. Yours sincerely, Michael Bartholomew, ETNO Director (1) ETNO (European Telecommunications Networks Operators' Association) is the recognised voice of the European Telecommunications network operators with over a decade of experience in shaping EU telecoms policy. The association represents 41 companies from 34 European countries. They account for an aggregate turnover of more than 210 billion Euros within Europe and employ more than one million people. The association is widely recognised for its expertise on various topics including technical and regulatory matters, but also issues such as network naming and addressing, environmental protection, sustainability and network security. An indication of the scope of issues and the work undertaken by ETNO can be demonstrated by the information on its web site (www.etno.be).