IPv4 exhaustion
- Global IPv4 run out
- The situation in APNIC
- How much IPv4 APNIC has
- How to receive IPv4 addresses from APNIC
- If you need more than a /23
- How to transfer IPv4
- IPv6 is the long-term solution
New and existing APNIC Members can still get IPv4 address space, however, the amount you can get is governed by APNIC policy.
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The maximum amount of IPv4 address space new or existing APNIC Members can get is a /23 or 512 addresses
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If you require more, you will need to consider IPv4 transfers
Global IPv4 run out
All of the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) have either limited supplies or have run out of available IPv4 addresses. ARIN, RIPE NCC and LACNIC ran out of their available supply in 2015, 2019 and 2020 respectively, with APNIC and AFRINIC rationing supplies according to their community policies.
The situation in APNIC
The APNIC community ensured it would take many years for APNIC’s IPv4 pool to run out by creating policies to limit the amount of address space delegated to APNIC Members from APNIC’s final /8. These policies aim to ensure that new and emerging networks can continue to receive a small amount of IPv4 for many years so they can connect to the Internet.
Summary of policy changes
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16 February 2009
Implemented the final /8 policy (prop-062), which stipulated that APNIC account holders were able to receive up to a /22 from the final /8 pool (103/8).
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27 May 2014
Implemented policy proposal prop-105: ‘Distribution of returned IPv4 address blocks’ to allow each APNIC account holder to apply for an additional /22 from the IPv4 recovered pool. This recovered pool was separate from the final /8 and called the non-103/8 pool.
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28 February 2019
The maximum allocation size from the final /8 in the APNIC region was reduced to a /23 following policy proposal prop-127: Change maximum delegation size of 103/8 IPv4 address pool to a /23.
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2 July 2019
Implemented policy proposal prop-129: ‘Abolish waiting list for unmet IPv4 requests’ to abolish the IPv4 waiting list. APNIC no longer allocates additional /22s to Members from the recovered pool. Future recovered IPv4 space will be added to the final /8 pool.
See how much IPv4 APNIC has
Notes:
‘Available’ means the resource has not been allocated or assigned to an entity.
‘Reserved’ means the resource has not been allocated or assigned to any entity and is not available for allocation or assignment. This may include reserved space as defined in the policy document or by the IETF, voluntarily returned space that is undergoing quality checks, or reclaimed space awaiting administrative clearance.
How to receive IPv4 addresses from APNIC
Existing Members that have not received a total of a /23 delegation from the last /8 IPv4 address pool may complete a request form by accessing MyAPNIC, and clicking on the:
- ‘Resource Manager’ button located on the top right-hand side of the screen
- ‘Resources’ tab under ‘Resource Requests Forms’ click on the ‘IPv4 Addresses’
New APNIC Members can apply via the online form.
If you need more than a /23
Consider finding a source for an IPv4 transfer. Please see Section 8 of the IPv4 address policy.
APNIC Members who can justify a need for additional IPv4 space can receive unused address space from within the region or from other RIR regions with compatible transfer policies.
You can also subscribe to the APNIC transfers mailing list, which is a forum for IPv4 transfer discussions.
How to transfer IPv4
Using MyAPNIC, Members can transfer IPv4 address space to each other. Please see the IPv4 Transfer Guide for more information.
To transfer to or from Member organizations from other RIRs regions, APNIC Members can complete the inter-RIR transfer form.
IPv6 is the long-term solution
IPv6 provides a very large number of IP addresses, which will be sufficient for networks to grow. There is not enough unused IPv4 address space left for networks to grow. Plan for your IPv6 deployment now. It is easy to obtain IPv6 addresses from APNIC!