[address-policy-wg] AS Number Assignments - Transitioning to Policy Compliance Completed

Dear colleagues,

In November 2023, I shared with you during the RIPE meeting and on this 
mailing list that the RIPE NCC intends to assign Autonomous System 
Numbers (ASNs) from an undifferentiated 32-bit AS Number pool, as 
defined in the Autonomous System (AS) Number Assignment Policies.

I am pleased to inform you that this change has been successfully 
implemented. The option to choose between a 16-bit or 32-bit AS Number 
as been removed. When submitting a request, the RIPE NCC will assign the 
next available AS Number from the undifferentiated allocation pool.

Kind regards,
Marco Schmidt
Manager Registration Services
RIPE NCC

On 30/11/2023 16:40, Marco Schmidt wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
> During the RIPE 87 Address Policy working group session yesterday, I 
> presented the topic of AS Number assignments, specifically addressing 
> a policy in place since 2010. According to this policy, assignments 
> should be made from an undifferentiated 32-bit AS Number allocation pool.
> https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-679#ASnumbers
>
> Before this policy became active in 2010, the Address Policy WG 
> recognized that many providers were not ready to exclusively work with 
> 32-bit ASNs, mostly due to technical constraints. A verbal consensus 
> in 2009 suggested that the RIPE NCC would temporarily continue using 
> two pools of 16-bit and 32-bit AS Numbers. The plan was to attempt to 
> extend the global policy by 12 months, but this effort was never 
> undertaken. To date, the RIPE NCC remains the only Regional Internet 
> Registry (RIR) employing this temporary approach.
>
> Observing that other RIRs have successfully issued AS Numbers from an 
> undifferentiated pool for many years without technical challenges for 
> operators, the RIPE NCC plans to phase out the current temporary 
> approach. The intention is to align with the policy and issue AS 
> Numbers accordingly.
>
> No objections were raised during the working group session. However, 
> for transparency, we want to inform working group members who couldn't 
> attend the RIPE meeting. The presentation can be viewed here:
> https://youtu.be/Zoq4PpqlaK4?t=1797
>
> Kind regards,
> Marco Schmidt
> Manager Registration Services
> RIPE NCC
>