Number Resource Organization Report Highlights Strong Growth in Both IPv4 and IPv6 Allocations

Online, April 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The Internet Number Resource Status Report for the first quarter of 2010 is based on data collected by the five Regional Internet Registries[1] (RIRs) that oversee the allocation of all Internet number resources, and outlines RIR allocation of IP address space (IPv4 and IPv6), as well as AS number assignments.

In the report, the NRO notes that allocations of IPv4 addresses in Q1 have reduced the IANA free pool of IPv4 addresses to 8.5 percent. During the same period, APNIC, the RIR for the Asia Pacific, allocated 1.6 /8s (nearly 27 million IPv4 addresses) to its members, more than any RIR has ever issued in a single quarter.

"The allocation rate of IPv4 addresses continues to increase due to the growing number of devices that require IP addresses - mobile phones, laptops, servers, routers, and more," said Axel Pawlik, chair of the NRO. "We have also seen many new IP address requests from developing countries, whose populations are coming online more quickly than ever before."

He also noted that additional allocations in early Q2 have now left only 7.8 percent of IPv4 addresses unallocated.

Key findings of the status report include:

· APNIC issued 1.6 IPv4 /8s in the first quarter of 2010

· APNIC issued 186 IPv6 allocations in the first quarter of 2010 - that is more allocations in three months than it has ever made in any single year

· For only the second time, LACNIC issued more IPv4 address space than ARIN

"The five RIRs saw an increase of nearly 30% in the amount of IPv6 address space allocated to members in 2009, an encouraging sign that more organizations are preparing for the transition," Pawlik remarked. "With limited IPv4 addresses remaining, deployment of IPv6 is critical to the continued development of the Internet."

The RIRs, working individually and collectively as the NRO, have actively promoted IPv6 deployment for several years through grassroots activities, speaking opportunities, technical training, conferences, government liaison and media outreach.

Notes to Editors

About the Number Resource Organization (NRO):

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 www.nro.net/media.

About the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)

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.

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.

The five RIRs are:

· AfriNIC, http://www.afrinic.net - Africa

· APNIC, http://www.apnic.net - Asia Pacific

· ARIN, http://www.arin.net - Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States

· LACNIC, http://www.lacnic.net - Latin America and the Caribbean

· RIPE NCC, http://www.ripe.net - Europe, Middle East, and Parts of Central Asia