- IP governance reform is now essential to support global digital growth and network resilience.
- Enabling IP address portability and ownership will unlock new market opportunities for ISPs and cloud providers.
What happened: JPCDC 2025 final day focuses on IP governance and infrastructure risks
The Japan Cloud & Datacenter Convention 2025 (JPCDC 2025) concluded in Tokyo this week after a full day of expert panels and keynote sessions exploring the future of cloud, data centres, and internet infrastructure.
On the final day, speakers focused on hidden risks in the current IP address governance system. LARUS CEO Lu Heng delivered a keynote that warned about global IP address management problems. He explained that five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) still control IP address allocation worldwide. Currently, these territorial monopolies limit operational flexibility for ISPs, telecoms, and cloud providers. Lu argued that IP addresses, essential for global connectivity, remain tied to outdated management systems.
Importantly, Lu told the audience, “These IP addresses should not be controlled by unknown private companies.” He continued, “They should be portable, transferable, and fully owned by organisations that build and run networks.” Following his speech, Lu’s keynote sparked wider conversations about decentralising IP management and system openness. He further called for borderless IP address systems that allow free movement across regions and full asset recognition.
Meanwhile, other sessions raised serious concerns about concentrated decision-making power within the RIRs. Speakers also criticised the lack of competitive options and the policy risks tied to regional IP monopolies. As discussions continued, participants stressed the need to challenge these monopolies to protect internet stability and growth.
In conclusion, the forum ended with strong support for reviewing and updating IP address policies for the modern internet. Speakers agreed that current policies no longer match today’s global, interconnected digital environment. Looking ahead, industry leaders urged fast reforms to build an open, secure, and flexible internet governance system.
Addressing internet governance and digital asset policies
The convention highlighted urgent governance challenges in IP address management and digital infrastructure policies. Throughout the sessions, participants consistently called for transparent and fair regulations to support rapid digital growth and global cloud services. They stressed that current governance frameworks cannot meet the demands of cross-border internet infrastructure. Building on this, speakers at JPCDC 2025 urged the removal of regional barriers in IP address allocation and management. They emphasised the urgent need for resource portability to help ISPs and cloud providers operate internationally without unnecessary restrictions. As discussions progressed, creating policies that allow unrestricted cross-border operations became a central focus across the event.
In addition, the convention explored the growing importance of recognising IPv4 addresses as valuable and fully tradable digital assets. Participants explained that this recognition could significantly transform future mergers, acquisitions, and global network expansion. They further highlighted that IPv4 address trading could unlock new financial opportunities for digital infrastructure companies. Moreover, industry leaders strongly called for multi-stakeholder cooperation to drive urgent reforms in IP address governance. They stressed the need to balance stability, security, and innovation when updating governance frameworks. Protecting the rights of ISPs, data centres, and cloud providers remains a top priority in these proposed reforms.
At the same time, many industry participants warned that current governance systems, created decades ago, can no longer support modern cloud and data centre operations. They explained that these outdated frameworks increase the risks of monopolistic control and severely limit market competition. As a result, they called for flexible, updated policies that better reflect the realities of today’s global and borderless internet. Looking ahead, industry leaders urged immediate action to close the gap between old policies and modern digital practices. They pushed for practical solutions that remove artificial restrictions and support sustainable growth worldwide. In conclusion, speakers agreed that the governance system must evolve to protect the future of global digital infrastructure.
Lu Heng: IP address portability and ownership must be prioritised
Lu Heng’s keynote directly challenged the status quo in global IP management.
He highlighted that the current system locks IP addresses to specific regions and gives disproportionate power to the five RIRs: AFRINIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and RIPE NCC. ISPs and cloud providers have no ability to switch registries or move their IP resources freely across borders. “There is no technical reason why an IP address should be tied to one region forever,” Lu said. “We must push for portability and real o
Lu called for the recognition of IP addresses as tradeable digital assets, similar to real estate, with clear ownership rights.
He also emphasised that the value of IPv4 addresses is still significantly underestimated and could represent one of the most important asset classes in the digital economy. “IPv4 is the digital gold of our generation. It’s limited, essential, and globally adopted,” Lu told the audience. “Unlocking IP ownership could release massive hidden value for ISPs and infrastructure ope
Lu warned that without policy reform, telecom operators and data centres remain vulnerable to centralised decisions that could jeopardise their entire operations.
He further noted the risks of long-term policy control by single entities, especially pointing to the Asia-Pacific region, where APNIC was controlled by a single shareholder and director for over 25 years. “This is a structural weakness in our internet,” Lu said. “We must not allow one organisation to hold that much power
Why it’s important
The closing sessions at JPCDC 2025 made it clear that IP governance reform is no longer just a technical discussion—it has now become a strategic business issue. Throughout the final panels, industry leaders repeatedly emphasised that enabling borderless portability and recognising IP address ownership could deliver significant benefits. These include stronger digital resilience by reducing the risk of unilateral disconnection by regional monopolies, greater market flexibility for ISPs, cloud providers, and data centres to expand globally without IP restrictions, and the creation of a liquid IPv4 asset market where IP addresses can be freely traded, transferred, and fully valued as digital property.
Further illustrating this potential, Lu Heng highlighted that some Tier 1 ISPs, such as Cogent, already consider their IPv4 holdings to represent up to 80% of their total market value. He argued that if the market fully recognised IP ownership, the infrastructure sector could unlock new levels of investment and growth. Building on this, Lu explained that IP addresses, when properly valued and treated as assets, could reshape global strategies for telecoms, cloud providers, and digital operators. “We are one step away from the biggest value creation in our sector,” Lu concluded. “But the entire business community needs to understand and actively support this change.”
In the end, the Japan Cloud & Datacenter Convention 2025 closed with a unified call for the industry to modernise IP address policies. Throughout the event, participants strongly supported building a more decentralised, transparent, and competitive IP management system. They agreed that only through policy reform can the industry protect digital growth, encourage innovation, and support a secure, borderless internet for the future.
