/8 end user assignment?

Thu Aug 4 19:16:28 UTC 2005

Steve,

On Aug 4, 2005, at 11:35 AM, Stephen J. Wilcox wrote:
> 1. Softbank BB is not on my radar of likely /8 candidates (of  
> course, geography
> may be the reason for that)

They are one of the largest ISPs in Japan and Japan (at least certain  
parts, like Tokyo and Osaka) is _significantly_ more advanced in  
terms of broadband penetration than the US.

> 2. We know cable companies, dsl providers and mobile companies can  
> use this many
> IPs, but they generally seem to make use of NAT and IPv6. If  
> everyone in this
> category who could justify a /8 applied and received them we might  
> be in real
> trouble with our IPv4 space.

This is, of course, why IPv6 has the traction it has.  I used to be  
much more sanguine about IPv4 address space availability.  That was  
long ago.  Given growth patterns, the only way IPv4 will continue to  
be usable is by the use of NAT.  For various reasons (some good, some  
not), NAT is seen as the spawn of the Devil.  As such, IPv4 with more  
bits becomes less non-attractive.

> I had said elsewhere this was unprecedented but was then pointed at  
> 73.0.0.0/9,
> 73.128.0.0/10 which is Comcast assigned in April. I'm surprised  
> none of these
> assignemtns have shown up on mailing lists..

Well, there has been a flurry of /8s being allocated by the IANA to  
the RIRs which are announced to the various operational mailing  
lists.  I think it safe to assume those /8 allocations are not being  
done to redistribute the remaining free pool to the RIRs...

[In case anyone is wondering, no, I do not have any inside knowledge  
of this as an ARIN Board of Trustees Member -- the Board is  
explicitly segregated from the day-to-day operational aspects of ARIN]

Rgds,
-drc