Navigating New ARIN Pre-Approval Rules

Slowly but surely, ARIN is chipping away at the impediment of having to justify IPv4 purchases via transfer.

Recently implemented policy changes have achieved the following:

• In July 2016, a change was made to remove the criteria from the end-user IPv4 policy, where network operators must utilize 25% of the address space within 30 days of receiving a block. (ARIN-2015-3)
• In February 2017, a change was made which requires buyers to show at least 50% usage of a requested block within 24 months, as opposed to 80% usage. In addition, to receive additional space companies must show usage of only 50% of their cumulative existing IPv4 address blocks. (ARIN-2016-5)

A new proposal, which is pending review, will improve things even more:

• A change was recommended to the Board in May 2017, that will allow organizations using 80% of their current space to double their holdings via IPv4 transfers up to a /16 equivalent. (ARIN-2016-3)

These changes are good for small to medium sized ARIN members, as they specifically make it easier to request small blocks of /16 and smaller.

By the time IPv4 transfers slow to a trickle, due to decreased supply, ARIN may completely remove IPv4 transfer justification. What will come first: IPv4 transfer runout or removal of needs justification?

The good news is we are on the right path.