economic value of low AS numbers

Thu Nov 17 17:32:07 UTC 2011

On Nov 17, 2011, at 6:53 AM, Dave Hart wrote:

> AS path geeks:
> 
> At the risk of invoking ire and eliciting comparisons to the
> widely-reviled and growing practice of selling IPv4 addresses, I'm
> wondering if anyone has sold legacy AS numbers for quick cash.
> 
> For example, NASA has AS23 among others, and does not use 23.  Could
> they help fund a Mars mission study or two by offering it to the
> highest bidder?  Or would they be lucky to top the $500 ARIN charges
> for a 32-bit ASN?

ARIN also charges $500 for 16 bit ASNs and still has those available.

> I recognize there's no practical shortage of AS numbers.  BGP's
> preference for low AS numbers doesn't come into play much.  On the
> other hand, a low AS number can't hurt at the human level when
> negotiating peering or attracting customers.
> 

ARIN policy does not currently support the transfer of AS numbers in
this manner. IMHO, it shouldn't, but, there is a policy proposal to
do so. I suggest that anyone interested in this subject review the
proposal and join the discussion on arin-ppml.

Owen
(Speaking only for myself and not on behalf of the ARIN AC)