[address-policy-wg] ETNO and ETNO Member participation in RIPE Address Policy WG

Hans Petter Holen
Chairman RIPE Address Policy WG


Dear Mr. Holen,

Thank you for your e-mail dated 7 November seeking clarification about
ETNO's input by means of our Expert Contribution EC064 on IPv4 address space
allocation. Attached and below you will find a reply message from Michael
Bartholomew, ETNO Director.

In summary our views are that:
- individual ETNO Members contribute substantially to RIPE and they are
encouraged by the Association to do so
- ETNO fully recognises and supports RIPE, its committees and decisions
- ETNO actively participates in RIPE activities and contributes among others
by inputting the collective, formally approved views of 41 operator
companies - which would probably be difficult to match by means of direct
participation.

Best regards,

Leo Debecker
Executive Manager, Operations

------------

Hans Petter Holen,
Chairman RIPE Address Policy WG


Dear Sir,

Thank you for the e-mail you sent to the RIPE Address Policy WG mailing list
on 7 November and the concerns you expressed as RIPE Address Policy WG
Chairman. ETNO (1) believes it would be of use to explain the rationale
behind the IPv4 address space allocation contribution that you refer to.

As you are aware, ETNO represents 41 major telecommunications operators from
34 European countries. Its Members participate in about 20 ETNO working
groups addressing common areas of specific interest. One of these deals with
Naming, Numbering and Addressing Issues (NANI WG) from a policy perspective.
Its participants have recognised expertise in relevant policy issues, but
are not necessarily involved in the day-to-day management of IP Addresses.
The NANI WG is an important forum to discuss common E164 and IP related
policy areas of specific interest to ETNO's membership. 

ETNO views are expressed in position papers, which are approved by its
Members using formal processes and documented rules.  These position papers
are publicly available on ETNO's web site.  It should be stressed that ETNO
Members represent a significant share of large and extra large registries in
Europe. These registries follow all the processes and policies issued by
RIPE. In addition, ETNO Members rely on commonly and formally agreed ETNO
position papers to provide input into the RIPE community. There is thus
two-way interaction between RIPE and individual ETNO Members.

As for ETNO itself: the Association and its Members are committed to
contribute to the RIPE community, with the participation of an ETNO
representative in RIPE meetings who disseminates feedback to ETNO Members.
As mentioned, some ETNO Members participate at RIPE meetings as company
representatives. ETNO encourages its Members to actively participate in
RIPE. RIPE is the forum dealing with Address Policy issues for the RIPE
region that includes Europe, and ETNO supports this through its
contributions and participation.

IP Addressing has become a major issue in recent years as all ETNO Members
have established ISPs. IP addressing will increase in importance in the
future as operators move towards the introduction of Next Generation
Networks (NGN). In the past ETNO has adopted a number of positions on IP
addressing policy issues, the last one being on the IPv4 HD ratio issue,
which was unanimously approved. ETNO's position was communicated to the RIPE
community through the RIPE Address Policy WG mailing list. This shouldn't be
thought of as challenge to RIPE and it's working methods but as a supportive
input.

ETNO is of the opinion that by engaging within the RIPE community,
delivering the joint concerns of its 41 Members and assisting in the
development of an appropriate IP address policy, we act to the benefit all
interested stakeholders - a role which ETNO is happy to fulfil.

Yours sincerely,
 
Michael Bartholomew,
ETNO Director




(1) ETNO (European Telecommunications Networks Operators' Association) is
the recognised voice of the European Telecommunications network operators
with over a decade of experience in shaping EU telecoms policy. The
association represents 41 companies from 34 European countries. They account
for an aggregate turnover of more than 210 billion Euros within Europe and
employ more than one million people. The association is widely recognised
for its expertise on various topics including technical and regulatory
matters, but also issues such as network naming and addressing,
environmental protection, sustainability and network security.   An
indication of the scope of issues and the work undertaken by ETNO can be
demonstrated by the information on its web site (www.etno.be).


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