[rpd] Legacy holders?

[Sander Steffann]

Hi,

Speaking from a non-African standpoint:


>> So this is were you are sadly mistaken.

>> 

>> Many countries allow ISPs to provider services without a licence.

> 

> Some of those countries must be lacking a proper administration and Nishal gave some examples on this thread earlier.


That would be implying that The Netherlands is lacking a proper administration...


> An ISP is a business and like most businesses some sort of licensing is required and things like TAX come into play.


In my country a business needs no license. Everybody can start and register a business with the Chamber of Commerce. That will automatically get you the TAX identifier and company registration number.


> The only way for an ISP to provide services without a license is through a partnership or business engagement with another business entity.


Nope


> For instance I can form a virtual ISP that provides internet connectivity through a 3rd party infrastructure provider which has a license. One could also form an ISP to resale for another ISP without the reseller having a regulator license. Such cases are common indeed. How Afrinic members service navigate such cases, I dont know as my experience is with only ISP which had a license.


I'll give you a counter example: I have my own company, which has two ASNs, two IPv4 allocations, an IPv6 allocation and is the sponsoring LIR (a RIPE-specific thing) for several provider independent assignments for friends and customers. I have my own network that I operate. It is small, but nothing I mentioned here requires a license.


>> Hence the suggestion (by myself and others) that one size does not fit all and that AfriNIC is not a regulatory enforcement agency, nor a repository of regulatory expertise relating to every country in the service region.

> 

> I didn't say Afrinic was a regulatory enforcement agency. I was trying to point out my experience while going through the Afrinic numbers resources membership process and how the process required among other things a regulatory license as proof that the INR will be used for providing internet connectivity.


Your view is quite limited then. AS numbers and and IP addresses are used for much more than providing an internet connectivity service. There are plenty of other services (such as providing data center services, hosting, online services etc) that are part of the internet ecosystem as much as the access providers. And it will depend on your market, type of business, location and other things whether you need a license to run that business. Each country has other requirements.

Having such a license is a good indicator that you probably need resources from Afrinic, but the absence of such a license doesn't indicate anything... It all depends on many many factors.

Cheers,
Sander

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