Frequently Asked Questions

What type of information is available about the listings in the Marketplace?

IPv4Mall online Marketplace provides specified and elaborated information online, as well as in hard copies like eBooks etc., for each individual listing, these knowledge based information provides all the necessary information for the Buyer to make them fully informed before purchasing any IPv4 assets.

What should be the calculated & figured value of an IPv4 numberblock?

The price value for a particular IP number block remains variable;rather it depends on many factors to be considered. One of the important factors is the size of the IPv4 block. As the block size increases, not only does the number quantity increases, but also associated routing efficiencies for the network operators increases.
Secondly, the main factor is the “type” of number block. There are various special-purpose blocks, such as “micro allocations” which are generally used for network management and are considered more valuable assets due to the routing policies and inline processes associated.
Thirdly, the most meaningful valuation factor is the rights associated with the concerned block. Certain blocks, such as those sold with our services, have their known and certified provenience which clearly demonstrate the rights associated with the number block.

IPv4Mall provides the proprietary tools to our Marketplace Buyer participants which help them to establish the monetary value of number blocks.

What is the difference between an IP address and an IP number?

Commonly, there have been many misunderstandings done by interchanging these two names with each other by lots of people, there is indeed a key difference between these two. Basically, An IP number block is a group of conterminous numbers with a particular starting number. In IPversion 4 the protocol & the size of a number block can be as small as a single number, which than would be referred as a /32 block, or as large as the entire potential number range that is defined in the protocol. Actually, the largest IPv4 number blocks that are allocated to single entities are known as /8’s and thus contain 16,777,216 of the individual contiguous numbers. On the other hand, an IP address is a numerical label. For e.g., an IP number is assigned to each device like, a computer, a printer, or a router participating in an inter connected network that uses the Internet Protocol or “IP” for communication between the devices. Thus, when an IP number is assigned to a designate host computer or a particular network interface, then that particular number becomes an actual IP address.

What is meant by Legacy number block?

From the inception of the Internet to 1997, IPv4 number blocks were given out by the United States government, through its contractors, in large blocks to encourage the early development of the Internet. Allocations of these IPv4 number blocks were done through an administrative form or “template” which had no terms or conditions, (i.e., no offer, acceptance or consideration) and which imposed no restrictions on where the number block would be utilized at the time of the allocation or at any time in the future. These IPv4 number blocks are referred to as “Legacy” numbers.

What is meant by IPv4 number block?

IPv4 number block again, is a group of contiguous numbers with a categorized starting number at a location that is defined in the routing policies asan “bit boundary”. The size of a number block can be as small as a single number, which in CIDR notation, would be referred as a /32 block, or as large as the total potential number range, which else in CIDR notation would be shown as /0. Actually, the largest number blocks allocated to single entities are known as /8’s and contain arround 16,777,216 individual contiguous numbers.

What do mean by IPv4?

IPv4 is the fourth version of the standard protocol adopted for transmitting the packetized data across worldwide Internet. It is only the standardized format that has been achieved with global adoption and thus IPv4 capabilities are built into every piece of networked running equipment on the Internet today. These results in IPv4 accounts are well over 99% of all traffic on the Internet today.

Is there any restriction on IPv4 number block advertisements on the public internet?

The IPv4 number block does not impose any restrictions on where a particular IPv4 protocol may be advertised nor does the protocol make any assurance that the routed advertisements will be propagated throughout the networks commonly referred to as the public Internet. Overall, there are no known international or localized jurisdiction statutes which would impose any limitations on where a particular number block may be subjected to be utilized or propagated. Usageof the routable IPv4 number blocks is determined by the propagation employed by the number block holder. The mutual acceptance of the number block holders propagate the advertisements by the various inter-party connections that the block holder may either have or create, are usually codified within inter-ISP peering agreements, ISP transit service agreements, ISP client service agreements or other means of contractual relationship.

Is there any restriction about Non-Legacy number blocks?

Yes there is, but that’s not a generally used term. It’s more specifically described as “contract bound”.
All the IPv4 number blocks that were allocated since 1998, are covered by an “RIR” contract which contains specific terms and conditions that prohibits the sale or transfer of assets without RIR authorization and are usage constrained within the specific region where it was originally allocated. That constraint is strictly enforced by the contract terms of the allocation authority’s contract.

Is selling of IPv4 number blocks “legal” or not?

Yes, Selling of IPV4 number blocks is a legal practice. In fact the courts have approved the practice for the sale of IPv4 number blocks as well as its transfers in association with bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions and also the business unit restructuring activities. There are no known international, State or localized jurisdiction statutes that prohibits the sale or purchase of IPv4 number blocks.
For certain IPv4 assets of IPv4 number blocks, there are contractual restrictions which constrain the transfer of those number blocks. In those cases the owner’s rights to the IPv4 number blocks are limited to the service contract defined right-of-use, and the number block holder is bound to abide by with all applicable transfer policies.

Is selling IPv4 number blocks is“legal”?

Definitely, In fact the judicatures themselves have recognized the sale & purchase of IPv4 number blocks, as well as the transfers of IPv4 block assets in association with bankruptcies, acquisitions, and business unit restructuring activities. There are no such international or State, local jurisdiction statutes that prohibits the sale or purchase of the IPv4 number blocks. For certain IPv4 assets of IPv4 number blocks, the owners’ rights for the number blocks are restricted to a right-of-usedefined contract. In these types of cases, there might be contractual restrictions which restrain certain types of IPv4 number blocks from being transferred to the recipient of a number block transfer. All Buyer requirements or restrictions are clearly identified in the listing materials provided to the IPv4 Mall Marketplace participants.

How the size of an IPv4 number block is denoted?

The presently applied methodology for denoting the size of Ipv4 number blocks is called “CIDR”, or “Classless Inter-Domain Routing”. CIDR notation Indicates the starting number of a block and its relevant size, that’s defined as an IP number block that is followed by a slash, the decimal number with leading bits of routing prefix, for example, 192.168.0.0/16 contains 65,536 of individual contiguous numbers that begins at 192.168.0.0 and ends at 192.168.255.255.

How the market value of an IPv4 number block can be calculated?

As with all commodities associated with trade market, the market price value of a particular number block increases with the demand of a fixed amount of supply and falls with available supply as we can say; with a fixed level of demand. But there might be some other significant factors as well,e.g., the rights associated with the IPv4 block,type of number block, size of the number block or the reputation of the numbers within the IPv4 number block, etc.).

How many Legacy IPv4 numbers are there?

There are a total range of 4,294,967,296 numbers in a version 4 of the Internet protocol, of which nearly 44 % or 1,896,000,000 are Legacy numbers.

Are IPv4 number blocks “portable” among different regions?

Yes and no if mentioned in contract
The IPv4 number block protocol does not imply any geographical or regional limitation on where a specific amount of IPv4 number block should be utilized. There are no familiar international, State or localized jurisdictional statutes that would enforce any limitation on where a particular number block may be utilized. Moreover, the courts have recognized the sale and transfer of IPv4 number block assets in association with bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions, and business unit restructuring activities between different geographic regions of the world.
But however, for a primary set of the total number of IPv4 assets, there are few contractual restrictions which depict the prohibited number blocks from being utilized outside a specified geographic coverage area.

Are all IPv4 number blocks “sellable” instantly?

No, might be because of some contractual or technical issues.
For each subset having the total number of IPv4 number blocks, there are contractual restrictions and applied RIR policies, which may constrain & restricts the sale of the number blocks.
Number blocks smaller than /24 (e.g. containing 256 immediate numbers) according to the global Internet routing policies are not propagated and therefore IPv4Mall deems them not “sellable”.