[LINK] A Few Months of IPv4 Address-Space Left ...

[Roger Clarke]

Forwarded at the broadcast request of ISOC-AU chair Tony Hill.

(Sorry that ISOC-AU'ers on the link list cop it twice).


Remaining IPv4 Address Space Drops Below 5%
http://www.nro.net/media/remaining-ipv4-address-below-5.html

Amsterdam, 18 October 2010 - The Number Resource Organization (NRO) 
[which is the oordinating body for the five Regional Internet 
Registries (RIRs) incl. APNIC] announced today that less than five 
percent of the world's IPv4 addresses remain unallocated. APNIC, the 
Regional Internet Registry for the Asia Pacific region, has been 
assigned two blocks of IPv4 addresses by the Internet Assigned 
Numbers Authority (IANA). This latest allocation means that the IPv4 
free pool dipped below 10% in January, just nine months ago. Since 
then, over 200 million IPv4 addresses have been allocated from IANA 
to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).

"This is a major milestone in the life of the Internet, and means 
that allocation of the last blocks of IPv4 to the RIRs is imminent," 
states Axel Pawlik, Chairman of the Number Resource Organization 
(NRO), the official representative of the five RIRs. "It is critical 
that all Internet stakeholders take definitive action now to ensure 
the timely adoption of IPv6."

IPv6 is the "next generation" of the Internet Protocol, providing a 
hugely expanded address space, which will allow the Internet to grow 
into the future. In 2010, the five RIRs are expected to allocate over 
2,000 IPv6 address blocks, representing an increase of over 70% on 
the number of IPv6 allocations in 2009. In contrast, the number of 
IPv4 allocations is expected to grow by only 8% in 2010. These 
statistics indicate an absence of any last minute "rush" on IPv4 
addresses, and a strong momentum behind the adoption of IPv6.

"The allocation of Internet number resources by the five RIRs enables 
every region in the world to benefit from fair and equitable 
distribution of IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. We are also actively 
collaborating with stakeholders at the local, regional, and global 
level to offer training and advice to public and private sector 
organisations on IPv6 adoption to ensure that everyone is prepared 
for IPv4 depletion and IPv6 deployment," added Pawlik.

The IANA assigns IPv4 addresses to the RIRs in blocks that equate to 
1/256th of the entire IPv4 address space (each block is referred to 
as a "/8" or "slash-8"). The most recent assignment means that there 
are now only 12 of these blocks available, which is less than five 
percent of the entire IPv4 address pool.

The final five blocks of IPv4 addresses will be distributed 
simultaneously to the five RIRs, leaving only seven blocks to be 
handed out under the normal distribution method.

According to current depletion rates, the last five IPv4 address 
blocks will be allocated to the RIRs in early 2011. The pressure to 
adopt IPv6 is mounting. Many worry that without adequate preparation 
and action, there will be a chaotic scramble for IPv6, which could 
increase Internet costs and threaten the stability and security of 
the global network.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University