European Government Representatives Gather to Understand the IPv6 Challenge

Amsterdam, 11 September 2008 - Up to 20 government attendees will attend from 15 countries to gain a better understanding of the best practices relating to IPv6 uptake and integration. Discussion will focus on transfers of Internet address space in the run up to IPv4 exhaustion, which is estimated to happen within the next four years.

Internet growth and innovation depends on continued availability of IP address space. But the remaining IPv4 space is likely to be fully allocated within two to four years. Currently, 180 of 256 blocks of “/8”1 have already been allocated. Thirty-five blocks are reserved for special use by the Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF) and the remaining forty-one blocks are held in the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) pool for future allocation to the RIRs.

Axel Pawlik, managing director of the RIPE NCC, will discuss the continuing importance of IP address registration, one of the primary responsibilities of the RIPE NCC. He will also outline changes to the Internet landscape due to IPv6 adoption. Pawlik comments:

“Governments and regulatory bodies are key players in Internet growth and we urge them to play their part in the deployment of IPv6. In May this year the European Commission set a target of 2010 for enabling 25 percent of users to connect to the Internet, and use important services, over IPv6. This is an acknowledgement that IPv6 adoption has remained slow, while the issue of future IPv4 address scarcity is becoming ever more urgent."

“The RIPE NCC roundtables act as a key information sharing and educational resource for governmental representatives regarding key Internet addressing issues. Ultimately, European governments need to be fully aware of current and future challenges to Internet growth. This will allow them to best meet the needs of business communities and citizens.”

Paul Hoare, of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), notes that, "It is critical that we develop models of cooperation that enable law enforcement agencies to work with the Internet industry to tackle Internet crime. Events like this RIPE NCC roundtable are an important part of the process and enable governments, law enforcement agencies and the Internet industry to develop common ground for dealing with criminal activity on the Internet. Cooperation between Internet stakeholders, businesses and governments is vital to continue the success of Internet self-regulation."

Rt Hon Alun Michael MP says: “There is insufficient awareness of Internet governance within the regulatory and MP communities. Events like this, and the Internet Governance Forum, are vital to communicating what must be done to safeguard the future development of the Internet.”

The RIPE NCC is committed to bridging the gap between the private and public sectors to ensure the future stability of the Internet. Its focus is on creating an open, collaborative environment where all stakeholders can exchange and develop ideas for the continuing the development of the Internet.

Notes to Editors

About RIPE NCC Roundtable Events

The RIPE NCC roundtable meetings are one-day events designed specifically to keep governments and regulators informed on current issues surrounding the governance and operation of the Internet. They also provide guidance as to how attendees can participate in the development of policies around these issues.

About the RIPE NCC

Founded in 1992, the RIPE NCC is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation that supports the infrastructure of the Internet. The most prominent activity of the RIPE NCC is to act as a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) providing global Internet resources and related services to a current membership base of around 5,500 members in over 70 countries.

These members consist mainly of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunication organisations and large corporations located in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia.

As one of the world's five RIRs, the RIPE NCC performs a range of critical functions including:

• The reliable and stable allocation of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and AS Number resources)
• The responsible storage and maintenance of this registration data
• The provision of an open, publicly accessible database where this data can be accessed

The RIPE NCC also provides a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community. These services include the operation of K-root (one of the 13 root name servers), the Deployment of Internet Security Infrastructure (DISI) and DNS Monitoring (DNSMON).

As a result of its established position in the Internet industry, the RIPE NCC has played an important role in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), European Union (EU) workshops and government briefings on key issues in the current Internet landscape.

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