Hello Again! This post is about my incredible journey at APNIC 58. Being involved in Internet Governance (IG), I’ve always wanted to understand how Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) work. There are five RIRs globally, and since we’re in the Asia-Pacific region, we’re under APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre), headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.
First day at APNIC 58 - excited to start this journey!
RIRs exist to make the internet work smoothly. Think of them as the organizations that manage and distribute IP addresses and AS numbers to ensure the internet runs efficiently. APNIC specifically manages these resources across 56 economies in the Asia Pacific region, following policies developed by the community. They’re not just about distributing numbers - they play a crucial role in developing the regional Internet community and infrastructure.
I applied for the APNIC Fellowship program to attend APNIC 58 in Wellington, New Zealand, and was thrilled to be selected! The fellowship aims to increase understanding of APNIC’s policy development process, create networking opportunities, and support internet community members from developing economies.
Before the actual conference, we had weekly preparation sessions that were both informative and technical. We covered everything from IPv6 to network security basics, routing, RPKI, QUIC, SDNs, DNS & DNSSEC, and InfoSec. It was like taking my university computer networks course but with real-world industry standards!
Deep diving into network security labs - learning by doing!
We had to choose between Network Security and Network Automation tracks. Being a cybersecurity enthusiast, I naturally gravitated toward Network Security. The four-day hands-on workshop was intense but incredibly rewarding. We covered everything from Network Security Fundamentals to DDoS Attacks, BGP Route Hijacking, and even Honeypots. Each day ended with a fun Kahoot quiz that kept us engaged and competitive.
The networking breaks were particularly valuable - I met professionals from various CERTs, network engineers, and fellow students, all sharing their experiences and insights.
The amazing APNIC community - so many brilliant minds in one place!
The main APNIC 58 Conference kicked off with a beautiful New Zealand Maori cultural performance by young kids. The conference agenda was packed with fascinating sessions and keynotes. I even participated in a treasure hunt (spoiler alert: I won! Who doesn’t love free goodies?).
One of the most interesting aspects was witnessing the policy development process in action. During the conference, we discussed several important proposals. For instance, prop-160 about changing IPv6 initial assignment to /44 for multihoming organizations didn’t reach consensus, while previous proposals from APNIC 57 about IPv4 assignment for IXPs and temporary IP resources had already reached consensus and were being implemented.
Proud moment receiving my certificate!
The conference featured extensive discussions about IPv6 deployment and a compelling panel on disaster resilience. The security sessions were particularly engaging, and the open policy meetings showed how the community debates and reaches consensus on proposed changes.
Making friends from across the Asia-Pacific region - the best part of the fellowship!
Between sessions, I managed to explore the beautiful city of Wellington. The coastal views were breathtaking, and the city had such a vibrant energy.
Taking a break to enjoy Wellington’s stunning coastline
Victory! Winning the treasure hunt was the cherry on top
One of the best things about APNIC is their commitment to open knowledge sharing. All the lecture slides and labs from the workshops are freely available to everyone. You can find the course materials I used at APNIC Academy Events.
What’s even better is that APNIC provides free self-paced courses that anyone can take at APNIC Academy. I particularly love their hands-on virtual labs - they’re amazing! The lab environment is so well designed; you can easily switch between SSH machines when working with multiple virtual devices, and everything is set up by default. It’s incredible that such high-quality content is available for free. If you’re interested in networking or security, definitely check out their virtual labs.
This experience went far beyond technical learning - it was about understanding the human side of internet governance and meeting the amazing people who keep our digital world running smoothly. I’m grateful for this opportunity and excited to apply everything I’ve learned in my future endeavors in the internet governance space.