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<p><span class="headers">Dear Colleagues, the RIRs would like to raise
the level of awareness regarding the number of remaining IPv4 addresses
in the press release below. If you require additional information about
the IPv4 address pool in the African region, please contact AfriNIC at
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:contact@afrinic.net">contact@afrinic.net</a>.<br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="headers">Sincerely,<br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="headers">Lillian Sharpley<br>
Communications Area Manager<br>
AfriNIC<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.afrinic.net">www.afrinic.net</a><br>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="headers"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nro.net/media/less-than-10-percent-ipv4-addresses-remain-unallocated.html">http://www.nro.net/media/less-than-10-percent-ipv4-addresses-remain-unallocated.html</a><br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="headers">For Immediate Release<br>
19 January 2010<br>
</span></p>
<p><strong>Deploying IPv6 - the next generation of the Internet
Protocol - is vital to the continued development of the Internet</strong></p>
<p><strong>AMSTERDAM</strong>
– The Number Resource Organization (NRO), the official representative
of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) that oversee the
allocation of all Internet number resources, announced today that less
than 10 percent of available IPv4 addresses remain unallocated. This
small pool of existing IP addresses marks a critical moment in IPv4
address exhaustion, ultimately impacting the future network operations
of all businesses and organizations around the globe. </p>
<p>“This
is a key milestone in the growth and development of the global
Internet,” noted Axel Pawlik, Chairman of the NRO. “With less than 10
percent of the entire IPv4 address range still available for allocation
to RIRs, it is vital that the Internet community take considered and
determined action to ensure the global adoption of IPv6. The limited
IPv4 addresses will not allow us enough resources to achieve the
ambitions we all hold for global Internet access. The deployment of
IPv6 is a key infrastructure development that will enable the network
to support the billions of people and devices that will connect in the
coming years,” added Pawlik. </p>
<p>Internet Protocol is a set
of technical rules that defines how devices communicate over a network.
There are currently two versions of IP, IPv4 and IPv6. IPv6 includes a
modern numbering system that provides a much larger address pool than
IPv4. With so few IPv4 addresses remaining, the NRO is urging all
Internet stakeholders to take immediate action by planning for the
necessary investments required to deploy IPv6. </p>
<p>The NRO,
alongside each individual RIR, has actively promoted IPv6 deployment
for several years through grassroots outreach, speaking engagements,
conferences and media outreach. To date, their combined efforts have
yielded positive results in the call to action for the adoption of
IPv6. </p>
<p>Given the less than 10 percent milestone, the NRO
is continuing its call for Internet stakeholders, including
governments, vendors, enterprises, telecoms operators, and end users,
to fulfill their roles in IPv6 adoption, specifically encouraging the
following actions: </p>
<ul>
<li>The business sector should
provide IPv6-capable services and platforms, including web hosting and
equipment, ensuring accessibility for IPv6 users. </li>
<li>Software
and hardware vendors should implement IPv6 support in their products to
guarantee they are available at production standard when needed. </li>
<li>Governments
should lead the way by making their own content and services available
over IPv6 and encouraging IPv6 deployment efforts in their countries.
IPv6 requirements in government procurement policies are critical at
this time. </li>
<li>Civil society, including organizations and
end users, should request that all services they receive from their
ISPs and vendors are IPv6-ready, to build demand and ensure competitive
availability of IPv6 services in coming years. <br>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The NRO’s campaign to promote the next generation of Internet
Protocol continues to positively impact the Internet community. IPv6
allocations increased by nearly 30% in 2009, as community members
continued to recognize the benefits of IPv6.</p>
<p> “Many decision makers don’t realize how many devices require IP
addresses - mobile phones, laptops, servers, routers, the list goes
on,” said Raul Echeberria, Secretary of the NRO. “The number of
available IPv4 addresses is shrinking rapidly, and if the global
Internet community fails to recognize this, it will face grave
consequences in the very near future. As such, the NRO is working to
educate everyone, from network operators to top executives and
government representatives, about the importance of IPv6 adoption,”
added Echeberria. </p>
<p>IP addresses are allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA), a contract operated by the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). IANA distributes IP addresses to
RIRs, who in turn issue them to users in their respective regions.
“This is the time for the Internet community to act,” said Rod
Beckstrom, ICANN’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “For the
global Internet to grow and prosper without limitation, we need to
encourage the rapid widespread adoption of the IPv6 protocol.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="headers">Notes to Editors</p>
<p><strong>About the Number Resource Organization (NRO): </strong></p>
<p>The
Number Resource Organization (NRO) is the coordinating mechanism for
the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). The RIRs - AfriNIC,
APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and the RIPE NCC - ensure the fair and equitable
distribution of Internet number resources (IPv6 and IPv4 addresses and
Autonomous System (AS) numbers) in their respective regions. The NRO
exists to protect the unallocated Internet number resource pool, foster
open and consensus-based policy development, and provide a single point
of contact for communication with the RIRs. Learn more about the NRO at
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.nro.net/media">www.nro.net/media</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>About the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) </strong></p>
<p>The five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) that make up the NRO
are independent, not-for-profit membership organizations that support
the infrastructure of the Internet through technical coordination. The
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocates blocks of IP
addresses and ASNs, known collectively as Internet number resources, to
the RIRs, who then distribute them to users within their own specific
service regions. Organizations that receive resources directly from
RIRs include Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications
organizations, large corporations, governments, academic institutions,
and industry stakeholders, including end users. </p>
<p>The RIR
model of open, transparent participation has proven successful at
responding to the rapidly changing Internet environment. Each RIR holds
one or two open meetings per year, as well as facilitating online
discussion by the community, to allow the open exchange of ideas from
the technical community, the business sector, civil society, and
government regulators. </p>
<p>The five RIRs are: </p>
<ul>
<li>AfriNIC, <a href="http://www.afrinic.net">http://www.afrinic.net</a>
- Africa </li>
<li>APNIC, <a href="http://www.apnic.net">http://www.apnic.net</a> -
Asia Pacific </li>
<li>ARIN, <a href="http://www.arin.net">http://www.arin.net</a> -
Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United
States </li>
<li>LACNIC, <a href="http://www.lacnic.net">http://www.lacnic.net</a>
- Latin America and the Caribbean </li>
<li>RIPE NCC, <a href="http://www.ripe.net">http://www.ripe.net</a>
- Europe, Middle East, and Parts of Central Asia</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p class="headers">Media Contacts</p>
<p>Marissa Ramey | LEWIS Public Relations <br>
Ph. +1.202.349.3788 | <a href="mailto:arin@lewispr.com">arin@lewispr.com</a>
</p>
<p>Kersti Klami/Gabriela Warren | Racepoint Group UK <br>
Ph. +44 (0) 208 752 3200 | <a href="mailto:ripencc@racepointgroup.com">ripencc@racepointgroup.com</a></p>
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