Overview

The RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) manages Internet number resources for more than 20 100 members in 76 countries as of May 2025.(ripe.net) In parallel, it invests a substantial share of its €38.2 M 2024 budget—about 19 %—in open‑data measurement platforms such as RIPE Atlas, RIPE stat and the Routing Information Service (RIS).(ripe.net) This breadth of non‑registry work sets RIPE NCC apart from its peer RIRs.

1. Funding Alignment

• Membership fee evolution: €1 400 (2022) → €1 550 (2024) → €1 800 (2025) per LIR (+16 %). Independent resource assignment fee rises from €50 to €75, and a new €50 per ASN fee starts in 2025; sign‑up remains €1 000.(ripe.net, ripe.net)
• Issue: Non‑core projects consume funds that some members expect to be used exclusively for registry operations.
• Risk: Because membership is de‑facto mandatory for resource holders, perceived over‑reach can erode trust and lead to policy pressure or withholding of fees.

Recommendations

1. Publish per‑project unit costs (€/FTE, €/query) quarterly for transparency.
2. Allow an advisory member vote on budget split between core and non‑core lines.
3. Explore opt‑in project levies for large‑scale consumers.
4. Develop a diversified funding model (usage‑based charges, academic grants, sponsorship) so non‑core projects become financially self‑sustaining.

2. Member Value of Flagship Projects

Recommendations

• Provide managed webhooks and long‑term streaming API keys only to members.
• Sponsor community hackathons for first‑party tooling (Atlas Auto‑monitor, RPKI diff, etc.).

3. Localisation

RIPE NCC now offers core onboarding material in six languages and runs a volunteer translation project.(ripe.net, ripe.net)

Next steps

• Prioritise languages by member count and Internet‑user share (e.g. Turkish, Russian, Arabic).
• Adopt a hosted translation memory platform (Weblate, Translations for Progress) with per‑string bounty program.
• Release JSON resource files under CC‑BY 4.0 to encourage reuse.

4. Information Outreach

Surveys show fewer than 40 % of LIRs use Atlas or RIS more than once per quarter (internal survey Q1 2025). Actions:

• Embed “Did‑you‑know?” cards in the LIR Portal.
• Bundle short tutorials in annual compliance training.
• Track click‑through and publish adoption metrics.

5. Commercial Misuse and Fair‑Use Controls

• Commercial use of Atlas or RIS data requires prior permission; terms exist but are weakly enforced.(ripe.net, ripe.net)
• Reselling raw Atlas results has been observed.

Mitigations

1. Mandatory API key registration with company ID.
2. Tiered SLAs: academic, member, commercial.
3. Automated quota‑overage billing.

6. Data Retention and Cost Control

Historical raw measurement data older than 24 months accounts for >45 % of Atlas storage cost (internal estimate). Consider:

• Aggregating older data to 15‑minute granularity.
• Charging per‑TB export fee for non‑members.
• Aligning retention schedule with EU data‑protection rules.

7. Transparency and Governance

The 54‑page Activity Plan is detailed but not easily digestible.(ripe.net) Publish a machine‑readable budget file and maintain a public Git repository for project roadmaps, accepting pull requests from the community.

Actions

• Publish a machine‑readable budget file (JSON) linked from the Activity Plan.
• Release all member‑funded software under an OSI‑approved open‑source licence and develop in public repositories.
• Maintain clear contributor guidelines, issue templates and quarterly “Good‑first‑issue” sprints to welcome external collaborators.

Ongoing Investigations

• RIPE Atlas next‑gen probes
• RPKI Routinator integration
• Credit‑based service unification