[rpd] The importance of ASN before IPv4 Re: Pushing IPv6 ? Re: Questions about IP Allocation rate

Tue Oct 14 10:25:27 UTC 2025

Hendrik,

Sorry to hear of your experiences of delay getting an ASN.  I recently applied for one form RIPE and it came in 24 hours.  This should be the benchmark of performance that AfrNIC aspires to.

Kind Regards

Ben

From: Hendrik Visage <hvisage at hevis.co.za> 
Sent: 14 October 2025 13:17
To: ben.roberts at afrinic.net
Cc: RPD <rpd at afrinic.net>
Subject: The importance of ASN before IPv4 Re: [rpd] Pushing IPv6 ? Re: Questions about IP Allocation rate

Hi Ben, 

 as a new operator, let me answer my experience:

On 14 Oct 2025, at 11:55, ben.roberts at afrinic.net <mailto:ben.roberts at afrinic.net>  wrote:

Hendrik,

While it is important to be considering full IPv6 roll outs…  We certainly cant be discounting the IPv4 exhaustion conversation.

You are probably assuming that all the players are already in the game.  If one is a new startup ISP or local cloud provider, is that something you can easily go about with only IPV6 resources?  

As a new entrant: (application entered 13 Oct 2024, AfriNIC approved allocations circa Nov ’24 with OR preventing it, PAID for the resources Feb ’25, RECEIVED resources Jun/Jul ’25)

My SINGLE BIGGEST ISSUE was *not*having*an*ASN* !!!

Not IPv4, not IPv6, but a lack of an ASN!! You can’t peer at IXPs, you can’t dual home, you are a *client* not an operator till you got a public ASN!!

I reverted to acrobatics to get AS213481 https://lg-cpt1.as213481.net/

And THEN I could operate!!

First order of business: IPv6 space (via LIR @RIPE as I was in a fortunate situation to still have RIPE based services) THAT allowed me to roll out my network and I could start deploying stuff! (I’ve presented my meshed setup and my IPv6 only experiences at ZANOG-WP the past 6 months!)

IPv4: well, both my IPTs had some IPv4 space available, and several other IPv4 leasinig agents was knocking at my door and “cold calling” me as soon my AS213481 popped up on peeringdb and CINX :D

Today IPv4 is a 2nd class citizen refer to mirror.envisage.net.za <http://mirror.envisage.net.za>  it’s a IPv6 ONLY host! (IPv4 is SIIT-DC provided at the edge of my network)

New entrants, whether they be commercial ISPs, enterprises, government DPI projects, are going to need to start off with some IPV4 allocations for sure. 

NEGATIVE

REAL requirement is ASN!! The moment you get to the point that you don’t even need IPv4 on most of your routers with unnumbered interfaces, your mind set changes! yeah, old farting dinosaurs like me included (And yes, I’ve been playing on the internet since ’92 just ask Archie ;) 

IPv4 is dime a dozen… yes, you’ll need some for eyeballs, but with CGNAT/etc. your are making it a bigger political money thing that attracts greed and … well… political stuff than digital enhancements!

Africa’s management of the remaining V4 pool is a vital policy consideration.  

I’ll contest that.

Kind Regards

Ben

From: Hendrik Visage < <mailto:hvisage at hevis.co.za> hvisage at hevis.co.za> 
Sent: 14 October 2025 11:21
To: RPD < <mailto:rpd at afrinic.net> rpd at afrinic.net>
Subject: [rpd] Pushing IPv6 ? Re: Questions about IP Allocation rate

Question: 

 Shouldn’t we rather consider pushing IPv6 deployment assistance across Africa? ie. let the rest of the IPv4 go ASAP without much resistance instead of making this a begging/pleading/fighting game?

ARIN (North America) & RIPE (Europe) serviced areas are way ahead of IPv6 roll outs, ‘cause they don’t have any left, and looking at AfriNIC services countries, we are still have an abundance of IPv4, so IPv6 percentage roll outs are very low, and rathe we should be pushing to mirror the IPv6 percentage rollout and usage rather than fighting over the few remaining IPv4s if we want to grow digital rollouts.

Perhaps even moving to a state of: “You can have IPv6, once you’ve proven a complete IPv6 rollout can you get anymore IPv4"

---
Hendrik Visage

Instant messaging:  <https://t.me/hvisage> https://t.me/hvisage

On 13 Oct 2025, at 16:43, Andrew Alston < <mailto:aa at alstonnetworks.net> aa at alstonnetworks.net> wrote:

Hi All, 

I was wondering if there were updated statistics for the amount of space allocated in the last 3 years.  In addition to this information regarding exactly how much free space is still available in the IPv4 unallocated pool (excluding reservations)

I ask this because depending on the allocation rate - we may wish to consider revising the soft-landing policy that currently reserves a /12 worth of ipv4 space for "future uses, as yet unforeseen".

I point out that the soft landing policy was ratified in 2011, and if we still, after 14 years, have not been able to articulate a clear reason for such a large reservation, I think it's time we look at most, if not all, of that /12 back into the main unallocated pool that can be allocated for African resource holders that actually need it.

Amongst other reasons, sitting with unallocated, unannounced, reserved space like this leaves the space vulnerable to hijacking and malicious use or even potential theft.

Thanks

Andrew

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---

Hendrik Visage

 <mailto:hvisage at hevis.co.za> hvisage at hevis.co.za

HeViS.Co Systems Pty Ltd

 <https://www.envisage.co.za/> https://www.envisage.co.za

---

Hendrik Visage

hvisage at hevis.co.za <mailto:hvisage at hevis.co.za> 

HeViS.Co Systems Pty Ltd

https://www.envisage.co.za

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