Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Policy for Allocation of IPv6 Blocks to Regional Internet Registries

Abstract

This document describes the policy governing the allocation of IPv6 address space from the IANA to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). This document does not stipulate performance requirements in the provision of services by IANA to an RIR in accordance with the policy. Such requirements should be specified by appropriate agreements among the RIRs and ICANN.

Contents

1. Allocation Principles
2. Initial Allocations
3. Additional Allocations
3.1 Eligibility for additional allocations
3.2 Size of additional allocations
4. IANA prefix reservations
5. Announcement of IANA Allocations to the RIRs

1. Allocation Principles

- The minimum and initial IPv6 allocation from IANA to an RIR is a /12;

- The IANA will allocate sufficient IPv6 address space to each RIR to support its registration needs for at least a 36 month period;

- The IANA will allow each RIR to apply its own respective chosen allocation and reservation strategies in order to ensure the efficiency and efficacy of its work.

2. Initial Allocations

On inception of this policy, each current RIR shall be allocated a new /12 by the IANA. Also, a new RIR shall, on recognition by ICANN, be allocated a new /12 by the IANA.

3. Additional Allocations

3.1 Eligibility for additional allocations

A RIR is eligible to receive additional IPv6 address space from the IANA when it has allocated more than 50% of its total IPv6 address space holdings.

3.2 Size of additional allocations

With each additional allocation to an RIR, the IANA will double the address space held by the RIR, in effect providing the RIR with a total IPv6 prefix which is one bit shorter.

4. IANA prefix reservations

In order to facilitate IPv6 address space aggregation, IANA will reserve eight /6 prefixes within 2000::/3 for each RIR, according to the following table.

Binary Prefix Status

001 000 2000::/6 various
001 001 2400::/6 APNIC
001 010 2800::/6 AFRINIC
001 011 2A00::/6 ARIN
001 100 3000::/6 LACNIC
001 101 3400::/6 RIPE NCC
001 110 3800::/6 reserved
001 111 3A00::/6 reserved

IANA will allocate to each RIR from the reserved prefix, in accordance with this policy document.

5. Announcement of IANA Allocations to the RIRs

When address space is allocated to a RIR, the IANA will send a detailed announcement to the receiving RIR. The IANA will also make announcements to all other RIRs, informing them of the recent allocation. The RIRs will coordinate announcements to their respective membership lists and any other lists they deem necessary.

The IANA will make appropriate modifications to the "Internet Protocol V6 Address Space" page of the IANA website and may make announcements to its own appropriate announcement lists. The IANA announcements will be limited to which address ranges, the time of allocation and to which Registry they have been allocated.