[AusNOG] UK unused /8 address

[Mark Andrews]

This has been discussed on NANOG and /. for the last week, please
go read the NANOG archives and /..    The space is "IN USE" for any
reasonable definition of "IN USE".  This isn't a /8 that is
reclaimable.

Mark

In message <CB04E143B28D6E4EA61B1597107538A131F4AE95 at sydmx02.systemsense.intern
al>, "Hallett, Ed" writes:
> Found this interesting snippet today..
> http://blog.jgc.org/2012/09/the-uk-has-entire-unused-ipv4-8-that-is.html
> 
> Friday, September 14, 2012
>  
> The UK has an entire IPv4 /8 that it isn't using (UPDATED) 
> 
> IMPORTANT UPDATES BELOW
>  
> If you take a look at the list of IPv4 allocated /8 blocks there's one intere
> sting block in there:
>  
> 51.0.0.0/8 UK Government Department for Work and Pensions 1994-08 whois.ripe.
> net LEGACY
>  
> That block of addresses, all 16.8 million of them, is completely unused. A ch
> eck of the ASN database will show that there are no networks for that block o
> f addresses. Right when IPv4 is running out there's a huge block sitting unus
> ed.
>  
> That's an extremely valuable asset. One recent article valued an entire /8 at
>  between "$500 million to $1.5 billion".
>  
> So, Mr. Cameron, I'll accept a 10% finder's fee if you dispose of this asset 
> :-)
>  
> PS A comment draws my attention to a Freedom of Information Act response from
>  the Department for Work and Pensions concerning this block. The FOI response
>  says that the block is used internally by the government and there are no pl
> ans to release it.
>  
> PPS This Cabinet Office document says that 51.0.0.0/8 is used internally by g
> overnment and routing it onto the Internet is not desired.  So, doesn't look 
> like this block is 'unused' just not used on the Internet.
>  
> PPPS Someone wrote and asked why I blogged this rather than investigating fir
> st. Actually, I did. I wrote to both my local MP and the Department for Work 
> and Pensions in February and received no reply at all. I figured 6 months wit
> hout a reply was long enough.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Ed Hallett
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-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: marka at isc.org