Regional Internet Registry policy landscape in late 2025 shows convergence on scarcity management and accountability

The RIR Comparative Policy Overview 2025-Q4, published in January 2026, provides a side-by-side reference of policies in force across the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system during the final quarter of 2025. Covering AFRINIC (African Network Information Centre), APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre), ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers), LACNIC (Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry), and RIPE NCC (Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre), the document maps how each registry approaches allocation, transfer, and stewardship of Internet number resources.

A central theme across all regions remains IPv4 exhaustion. With no meaningful free IPv4 pools left, transfer mechanisms continue to play a critical role. All RIRs allow IPv4 transfers, but with differing conditions. Needs-based justification remains a requirement in several regions, particularly for inter-RIR transfers, while others permit transfers with fewer technical constraints. Cooling-off periods and minimum transfer sizes are commonly used to limit speculation and rapid re-trading of address space.

On IPv6, the overview shows far greater consistency. Initial and subsequent IPv6 allocations are generally more generous, reflecting the abundance of address space and the policy goal of encouraging deployment. Micro-allocations for critical infrastructure and Internet exchange points are recognised across regions, underlining IPv6’s role in long-term Internet scalability.

The document also highlights growing emphasis on accountability and data quality. Requirements to maintain valid abuse contacts, periodically verify registration data, and register assignments and sub-allocations are now standard across most RIRs. Reverse DNS management and safeguards against “lame” delegations further illustrate efforts to improve operational reliability and trust in registry data.

Importantly, the overview stresses custodianship rather than ownership of Internet number resources, a principle shared across the RIR system. While transfer policies differ, all registries frame number resources as managed in the public interest, subject to policy-based conditions rather than property rights.

As the document itself notes, it reflects policies as of publication and may already be overtaken by subsequent changes. Still, the 2025-Q4 overview offers a useful reference point for policymakers, network operators, and civil society observers seeking to understand how global Internet resource governance is evolving in response to scarcity, security concerns, and accountability demands.