Did you know you can lease IPv4?

The transfer market of IPv4 has been booming ever since 2019, people were buying IPv4 address space in bulk and others have been making quite a lot of money selling those bulks. This transfer does seem pretty cut and dry, though there is so much going on for this process to even happen. A lot of time and energy actually goes into it due to all the rules surrounding selling and buying IPv4, however, the same is actually not said about leasing IPv4 addresses. Many people, on both sides, actually prefer to lease IPv4 address space instead of buying or selling. Keep reading this blog post and find out more.

The short history of IPv4

The only way our computers and phones can connect and communicate with each other is because of Internet Protocol version 4. Back in the 80s, the Regional Internet Registry was responsible for allocating the 4 billion IPv4 addresses that were in their pool to the whole world. Prior to this computers could only communicate with other computers when they were in control of the government. 

The 4 billion IPv4 addresses were assumed to be enough, but then the population of the world doubled after a decade, and electronics from the Internet of Things were being mass produced where each and every one of them needed their own IPv4 address. So soon enough, IPv4 addresses became a scarce item, officially running out in 2019.

The transfer market

Organizations and large businesses were in a bit of hot water because having enough IPv4 was and still is pertinent to their success online with their networks. And so, the demand for more address space increased and so did the price for a single one. Thus buying bulk IPv4 addresses has become more and more difficult.

Not only that but in order to successfully and safely purchase an IPv4, the purchasing party has to go through the process of ownership transfer which can take a while. So even if you already bought the IPv4 address, you might need to wait a while before actually getting to use it. Plus, there are many rules and regulations that need to be strictly followed if you want the purchase to be legit.

Leasing the addresses

When people choose to lease IPv4 addresses, the process goes a lot faster and less strictly. Once the leasing contract is signed and the IPv4 paid for, you can use the IPv4 immediately.