The operation includes 65,536 addresses and reflects the increasing value of this scarce digital resource; Amazon is thus strengthening its dominance in the global IP market.
Amid a global shortage of IPv4 addresses, the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Navigation of Barcelona has taken advantage of the situation to sell a block of 65,536 IP addresses that had been unused for decades. The transaction, officially recorded on December 19, 2024, in the RIPE NCC database, was valued at €2,048,985.09, which averages around €31.27 per address.
The block in question, 160.214.0.0/16, corresponds to a complete Class B allocation—a type of secondary market assignment that is uncommon due to its size. According to the Chamber’s 2024 annual report, the global demand for IPv4 addresses “opened a window of opportunity to monetize” this previously unrecorded digital asset in the entity’s accounting.
Amazon, the new owner
The transfer was made to the regional registry ARIN, which serves the United States, and the addresses were acquired by Amazon Web Services (AWS). With this transaction, the American company solidifies its position as one of the largest owners of IPv4 addresses worldwide, with over 95 million IPs, representing approximately 2.57% of the global total.
While Amazon offers IPv6 addresses free of charge on its cloud platform, the use of IPv4 continues to incur additional costs for its customers due to scarcity and high demand. This has driven the tech giant to undertake several massive acquisitions in recent years.
IPv4, an increasingly valuable digital asset
Despite the push for IPv6 addresses, older IPv4 addresses remain crucial for compatibility with legacy devices and services, as well as for environments that have yet to fully migrate. This reality has turned IPv4 into a strategic digital asset.
In December 2024, the secondary IP market in Europe recorded prices ranging from €27.70 to €34 per address, according to ipv4.global data. Veteran operators like Vodafone, which owns over 5 million IPv4 addresses, could have assets valued at over €150 million if they chose to sell.
CG-NAT and potential profitability
The Chamber’s report also highlights how some entities are opting for technologies like Carrier Grade NAT (CG-NAT) to continue using IPv4 addresses efficiently and free up blocks for sale, without impacting service operation.
In this context, the sale carried out by the Catalan institution not only provides an extraordinary income but also underscores the need for strategic management of inherited digital resources, especially in a landscape where their value continues to rise despite advances in new technologies.
The deal with Amazon is not an exception but a clear example of how the IP address market remains active and lucrative, particularly for organizations that managed to retain assigned blocks at the dawn of the internet.
via: bandaancha