What is an RIR and do I need an account with one?

A Regional Internet Registry (RIR) is a non-profit organization whose main purposes are to manage, distribute, and register Internet number resources – including IPv4 and IPv6 number blocks and Autonomous System (AS) Numbers – within their respective regions.

There are five RIRs scattered around the globe; each is slightly different, in part, due to the laws of the country in which they operate. Although there is some similarity in their operational processes, procedures, and contractual requirements, there are significant differences in their policies and contractually specified service terms and conditions. Each RIR is, independently, in a continual state of change related to regional policies and contractual conditions.

The five RIRs are:

• The African Network Information Center (AFRINIC), which serves Africa;
• The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), which serves Antarctica, Canada, parts of the Caribbean, and the United States;
• The Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC), which serves serves East Asia, Oceania, South Asia, and Southeast Asia;
• The Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC), which serves most of the Caribbean and all of Latin America; and
• The Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), which serves Europe, Central Asia, Russia, and West Asia.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocates Internet resources to the RIRs who, in turn, follow their regional policies to delegate resources to their customers, which includes Internet service providers, enterprises, and academic institutions. IANA is a standards organization that performs other functions, including AS number allocation and root zone management in the Domain Name System (DNS). IANA was formed in 1988 and is now a part of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit private US corporation that oversees the Internet. Addrex is very active in the industry and works with all five RIRs as well as Internet-governing bodies like ICANN to help shape policy and procedures.

An RIR account enables you to manage the IP address resources associated with you or your organization. RIRs typically require your organization to have an account in order to transfer your IPv4 number block resources to another organization. The transfer process also typically includes proving the ownership of the IPv4 block(s), which our Research and Legal Teams synthesize and provide as part of our services for sellers.

One of the advantages of using Addrex to buy or sell IPv4 blocks is that we are able to guide our clients through the nuanced requirements of each RIR. We are a truly global company, having successfully transferred IPv4 number block rights in over 25 countries.