Dear Erik,
I spoke with someone from Surfnet a while ago (they also have a /8 and a whole block of 16 bit ASN pre-RIPE) and on they question if they would return space to RIPE, their answer was : <quote>Why prolong the inevitable, we have been doing v6 for 15 years already. Everyone should do the same ...</end quote> That reasoning is very true and I do agree with it.
Yes, from technical point of view it is excelent answer and probably ideal way for internet. But when you goes to CFO and tell that you need new equipment - he will ask reason why you need additional investments? All works well. You can tell stories about IPv4 and IPv6... But from finance point of view it doesn't make any sense. Run IPv6 and what next? It will give you new customers? Or current cusomers will pay mode money? NOOOO! It is just extra expenses. It time when each company try to cut costs impossible to invest money in word "IPv6". But! If cost IPv4 will grow - then it will be very simple for companies to understund that chaeper will be migrate to IPv6.
I have heard that before, and moreover there is a training cost for sysadmin and tech guys and call center. the point to me is also: who will pay 5 Euros, or 50 Euros for 1 IPv4 when the transition will be completed? I mean, if a customer wants a /24 it's a very good deal: a lot of money for a rare resource But what will happen with those companies that are basing part of their business upon IPv4 address incomes?
That is also why a charging scheme based on v4 is short lived and out-dated by the time it comes into action. The first RIPE invoice based on it, will be when the resource pool is already in the final /8. And that pool won't magically grow back above it ... A charging scheme based on budget / nr of members is my prediction where things should go for the above mentioned reasons, why based it on a resource or charge for a resource that is gone ... To have this discussion again in one or two years ? Please spare me ...
But RIPE must support servers, software and etc which support IPv4. And all this expenses must pay LIRs? When IPv4 will finished and new LIRs will get only IPv6 - why they must pay a huge money for support IPv4 when they will provide only IPv6?
it seems we are going a little off topic, but not so much: if one ISP will ask for IPv4 and it will be over, in Italy it means that ISP will not be able to connect with most of the Italian (end user generated) traffic. As I said, there is no plan to implement dual stack and the "future proof solution" that has been proposed is IPv4 + NAT. We will go via NAT networks, lovely isn't it? Which in my understanding poses a problem regarding the market: what will be the performances of a customer with pure IPv6 ISP when trying to reach big systems with Italy with ONLY IPv4? -- Ing. Paolo Di Francesco Level7 s.r.l. unipersonale Sede operativa: Largo Montalto, 5 - 90144 Palermo C.F. e P.IVA 05940050825 Fax : +39-091-8772072 assistenza: (+39) 091-8776432 web: http://www.level7.it