[ncc-announce] RIPE NCC has Approximately Four Million IPv4 Addresses Before Reaching Last /8

Dear colleagues,

The RIPE NCC has now entered phase one of its approach to reaching the
last /8. This means that:

- As of Tuesday, 4 September, we have approximately one month (or a /10) 
worth
of IPv4 address space (4,134,976 addresses) to distribute before we 
reach the last /8.

- Our IPRAs are now working in pairs to ensure that all requests are
dealt with efficiently and to further ensure fairness, consistency and
transparency. This means that our response times may be longer than
you have previously experienced. You can find the response times for
requests for IPv4 address space at:
http://www.ripe.net/lir-services/resource-management/tools-for-lirs/reponse-time-ipv4 


- Our "call back procedure" has changed. We will now call requestors
about their ticket only when their ticket is at the front of the request
queue. This will ensure that no ticket is handled outside of the order
it was received in.

- Depending on the availability in the RIPE NCC’s free pool of IPv4
address space, you may receive multiple smaller prefixes that add up to
the size of your request.

- The quarantine period in place for returned IPv4 address space before
it can be re-used will be gradually decreased. In the last days before
we reach the last /8, the quarantine period may be reduced to one week
or less. This will ensure that there is no IPv4 address space left in
the quarantine pool when we start to allocate from the last /8. More
information about quarantine periods can be found at:
https://www.ripe.net/lir-services/resource-management/quarantine-for-returned-internet-number-resources 


- The Available IPv4 Pool Graph will be updated daily as of Wednesday, 5 
September. You can find this graph online at:
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/ipv4-exhaustion/ipv4-available-pool-graph 


More information about reaching the last /8 can be found at:
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/ipv4-exhaustion/last-8-phases

==================================================
Important Billing Information for RIPE NCC Members
==================================================
If you have had an outstanding invoice for 60 days or more, we cannot
approve any requests for Internet number resources until the outstanding
amount has been paid. For more details about billing, please see:
https://www.ripe.net/lir-services/member-support/info/billing/billing-procedure-and-fee-schedule-for-lirs-2012 



Regards,

Axel Pawlik
Managing Director
RIPE NCC