[AfriNIC-rpd] IPv4 BoF report

[Andrew Alston]

> 2- It will be difficult if not impossible to free the reserved 240/4. Too many 
> impact on network equipment and software manufacturers.   

Even if this were possible, at current allocation rates it wouldn’t buy us much time at all.

> 3- The second market will probably happen and will decide

Am I wrong in assuming the second market you refer to here refers to the buying and selling of already allocated IP Space outside of the RIR Structure?

> 4- AfriNIC should play a role in the second market. It will need the 
> redefinition of the scope of its service and operation.

I'm very curious to see how this is going to work, because the second market I envisage happening is going to be a free for all, and it's going to get really really expensive as well.  Honestly, I'm not sure I would back the involvement of an RIR in what is going to become something very chaotic.  Surely the resources of AfriNIC are better focused on expanding IPv6.  If AfriNIC *IS* planning on playing a role in this second market, its going to have to be very very carefully defined.  The only role I really see for an RIR in this market is a sort of clearing house role, and I'm not sure how that would be enforced or even encouraged.  

> but before that term, some possible actions:

> - Seek a mechanism to recover the unutilized blocks. A policy is probably 
> needed

This may work for non-legacy space, where it was handed out by the RIR from RIR allocations, but any policy relating to legacy space is likely to fall flat, if we consider points 3.) and 4.) above, we acknowledge that IPv4 space is about to become a VERY VERY valuable commodity, there is no way people are going to hand back space, they are more likely to start finding ways to "use" it just to hold onto it until such time as they can get rich off it if they don’t need it.  And while this might sound a bit cynical, I also believe it’s a reality. That and by the time we actually got around to start reclaiming space, we'd be outta space, the growth rates are 2 heavy, the time frames to short.

- seek a mechanism to encourage legacy holders to return unutilized blocks

See above point... I don’t believe this will happen, rather focus on getting v6 space out there than wasting time with what a.) wont buy that much time at current allocation rates and b.) wont fly because of financial motivations seen above.

- Conduct some studies on the number of legacy and unutilized blocks and how 
to recover and use them.

Geoff Houstons last numbers put depreciation at December 2009, and he admits that both he and Tony Hain are probably optimistic and wrong with these numbers because they don’t allow for a sudden allocation rush as people wake up to the fact that space is running out, the time for studies on v4 is over, there is no more time, 6 months for a decent study, 6 months more to work out how to act on it, that’s middle of 2008.  12 Months more to argue with players about how to take back their v4 space back, for what, a coupla /16s?  I don’t believe that this is a good approach.

- seek a mechanism to facilitate the regulation of the second market in the 
favor of local community

You can't regulate something like this, it won't ever fly. Infact even the suggestion scares me, it borders on ITU style country based registries that are governmentally controlled... and all of us at AfriNIC 2005 in Cairo saw the reaction to *THAT* idea.  Unless I misunderstand what you mean by regulate, which is entirely possible, if so please can you give some clarity on what is meant by this.

- dig further on  ressources certification and see how it can be used to 
regulate the second market.

Can you clarify this point?

- launch an awareness campaign for local operators. Get them to stop NAT to 
apply for public IP. 
what can be done to accelerate consumption rate : fees or threshold for 
subsequent allocation reduction?

Wait... am I reading this right... everything above says "get the v4 space back, and create more time for v4..." then this point says "convince people to use it as much as possible and exhaust the pool faster" (which I for one am quite happy with, lets get v6 out there, and if it means exhausting the v4 faster, so be it)... but please, can we clarify this?