The Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) is a non-profit organization that manages the IPv4, IPv6 and Autonomous System Numbers (ASN) for Europe, the Middle East, parts of West and Central Asia and even Greenland.
RIPE NCC manages allocation and assignment of internet resources and is one out of five Regional Internet Registries (RIR) in the world. A governing organization is needed to ensure that the limited amount of available IPv4 space gets properly distributed. In April 2018 the RIPE NCC allocated the last available /22 in the final /8 block that was given by IANA. Even though the last /8 of IPv4 address space was allocated, it is important to know that RIPE NCC has recovered over 9 million IP addresses and expects this pool to last until early 2020.
RIPE started out in 1989 when a group op IP network operators in Europe started coordinating on technical work and exchanging information. In April 1992 the RIPE NCC was established and IANA turned over the responsibility for this region.
Prefixx connects buyers and sellers in the RIPE region to help facilitate fast and secure IPv4 transactions.
The RIPE NCC allows foreign companies to become a RIPE LIR (Local Internet Registry). This means that as long as you operate within the RIPE region, they will consider your membership application. Becoming a LIR is a mandatory step to receive IPv4, IPv6 or ASN resources within the RIPE region.
Be ready to provide copies of business registration and supporting documents for the authorized signer of the company.
Timeline: 2-4 Weeks - RIPE has a very efficient process, but the hard copy exchange of service agreement documents does take some time
Unlike other registries, RIPE does not have a pre-approval policy for incoming transfers. You may submit the transfer request directly through the online LIR portal, if your company is purchasing a RIPE IPv4 address block. Minor justification and supporting evidence might be requested for transfering in larger sized allocations, such transfers are reviewed on a case by case basis.
Out of region transfers (inter-RIR) are subject to additional review. You'll need to provide a supporting business case that demonstrates a need for at least 50% of the to be acquired space within 5 years.
Timeline: 0 Weeks - Inter-RIR justification is not requested until a transfer is pending
If you've made it to this step, it means that you've likely already established a good relationship with a trusted IPv4 broker. Prefixx can help align your requirements and connect you with qualified buyers. As part of our process, all offers we present you with will have passed our Tixx by Prefixx quality control list.
Once you're ready to make your purchase, we'll move forward with the next part of the process. At this point you'll want to make sure you have the following readily available:
Once terms have been agreed upon and funds have been secured in an escrow account, you'll be ready to start the transfer. Your broker should be taking care of everything for you at this point.
The transfer process is different with every registry. RIPE has a pre-made online transfer application form which allows you to provide all the necessary details and documents before submitting your request. Only the selling side is required to submit a transfer request. RIPE will validate and request removal of any pre-existing registry objects (such as reverse dns or route objects), and then contact the buyer to confirm acceptance of the block.
An executed resource transfer agreement is required by RIPE. RIPE does not require the details of your transaction, we therefore recommend usage of a RIPE provided boiler template instead.
1-6 Weeks - RIPE region transfers usually complete within 1 week. Inter-RIR transfers may take up to 6 weeks to complete
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