PART 1
Essential Internet Knowledge

Chapter 2
The Administration of the Internet

Page 14 - The Internet Registries (RIRs)

ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC and LACNIC
The Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)

"The Internet Registry system exists to ensure that ... address space is managed in a globally consistent, fair, and responsible manner that minimizes wastage, and maximizes aggregation within the routing structure."¹⁴

There are currently four Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) in the world which are collectively responsible for managing and distributing allocated IP address space to its members or customers and for registering those distributions. All three RIRs are not-for-profit, membership-based organisations whose members include Internet Service Providers, National Internet Registries, and similar organizations.

The four regional Internet address space registries are:

1. ARIN - American Registry for Internet Numbers. ARIN is responsible for registration in North and South America, in the Caribbean and in African countries located south of the equator. ARIN took over this responsibility from NSI in 1998. (See http://www.arin.net).

2. RIPE NCC - Réseaux IP Européens - RIPE NCC covers registration in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa north of the Equator. (See http://www.ripe.net).

3. APNIC - Asia Pacific Network Information Center - APNIC covers registrations in Asia and the Pacific. (See http://www.apnic.net)

4. LACNIC - Latin-American and Caribbean IP Address Registry (recognized by IANA in 2002) (See http://lacnic.net/en/)

Additional Regional IRs may be established in the future. See the chart at APNIC.