We’ve talked about ICANN (Global). Now let’s talk Regional.

The world is divided into 5 regions for internet management. Nepal falls under APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre).

What is APNIC?

APNIC is our Regional Internet Registry (RIR). They are responsible for distributing IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) to ISPs and organizations in 56 economies, from Afghanistan to New Zealand.

If ICANN is the global wholesaler of IP addresses, APNIC is the regional distributor.

APNIC and Internet Policy in the Asia Pacific Region

More Than Just Admin

APNIC does massive work in:

  1. Capacity Building: They train thousands of engineers (including many Nepalis) on routing security, IPv6 deployment, and network management.
  2. Security: They run CERTs (Computer Emergency Response Teams) coordination and help secure the routing infrastructure (RPKI).
  3. Policy: This is where the governance happens.

The APNIC Policy Development Process (PDP)

This is one of the most open democratic processes I’ve seen.

Anyone—literally anyone—can propose a policy change. You don’t need to be a member. You don’t need to pay.

  1. Propose: You submit a proposal (prop) to the mailing list.
  2. Discuss: The community debates it online and at the APNIC conference (held twice a year).
  3. Consensus: The Chairs determine if there is consensus (agreement).
  4. Implement: APNIC staff makes it happen.

Why Engage with APNIC?

For Nepali network engineers and policy enthusiasts, APNIC is the best entry point into IG.

  • Fellowships: APNIC offers generous fellowships to attend their conferences (APNIC 58, 59, etc.). Ideally, this is where you network with the best minds in the region.
  • Training: Their training is world-class and often free.
  • Voice: The Asia Pacific region is diverse. The internet needs of a tech-giant nation like South Korea are different from a developing landlocked nation like Nepal. By engaging in APNIC, we ensure our unique challenges (bandwidth costs, connectivity) are understood.

My time at APIGA (which is co-organized by ICANN and KISA but heavily involves APNIC experts) showed me that the people running these organizations are approachable mentors, not distant bureaucrats.

graph TD
    A[Propose Policy Change] --> B{Submit Proposal to Mailing List};
    B --> C[Community Discussion Online];
    C --> D[Discussion at APNIC Conference];
    D --> E{Chairs Determine Consensus?};
    E -- Yes --> F[APNIC Staff Implements Policy];
    E -- No --> B;

Figure 1: The APNIC Policy Development Process

mindmap
  root((APNIC))
    Capacity Building
      Training Engineers
      Routing Security
      IPv6 Deployment
      Network Management
    Security
      CERTs Coordination
      RPKI (Routing Security)
    Policy
      Governance
      Policy Development Process (PDP)

Figure 2: APNIC’s Core Functions Beyond Administration