After an extended period of pricing softness, the IPv4 market is officially turning.

Prices are moving up again—particularly across larger and cleaner blocks—and this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying attention. As we outlined earlier this year in our analysis on the inverse correlation between IPv4 pricing and demand, the recent dip in pricing was never a sign of weakening fundamentals. It was a temporary disconnect.

Demand didn’t fall. It expanded.

Over the past several years, IPv4 demand has continued to grow across cloud providers, hosting companies, ISPs, and, increasingly, AI-driven infrastructure. At the same time, pricing declined due to shifts in buyer composition and short-term supply dynamics. /16 prices tanked in the last 2 years from $50 to $10. Now they are running out, and prices are on the rise again. That imbalance created a window, which is now closing as expected.

The reality is simple: IPv4 remains a finite resource with over 30 years of global infrastructure built on top of it. There is no replacement waiting in the wings. IPv6 and CG-NAT help extend usability, but they do not eliminate dependency. They delay pressure—they don’t remove it, and that pressure is building again.

We’re seeing increased acquisition activity, tightening availability of clean inventory, and more urgency from buyers who understand that current pricing levels are not sustainable. As demand continues to accelerate—driven by AI workloads, VPS growth, and upcoming BEAD-funded deployments—the market is beginning to reprice accordingly.

Where Prices Are Headed

Based on current transaction data, historical cycles, and active demand signals, IPv4 pricing is entering a new upward phase. We had alluded to this in an earlier post this year about the Inverse Correlation Between IPv4 Demand and Prices.

Our conservative estimates for 2026 are /24—/19 blocks priced $25 to $30 per IP and /18—/16 blocks priced $15 to $20 per IP.

This is not a speculative spike. It’s a correction back toward where the market should have been pricing all along, given the level of demand and the reality of supply constraints.

The period of suppressed pricing created opportunity—but it also created complacency. Many interpreted lower prices as a signal to wait. In reality, it was the best time to buy, much like the advice a financial advisor would give in the stock market. The IPv4 demand is now shifting back toward equilibrium.

For organizations relying on IPv4 for growth, expansion, or infrastructure planning, the takeaway is straightforward: pricing is no longer at its floor, and waiting for further confirmation will likely come at a higher cost.

This isn’t a sudden surge. It’s a predictable correction, and it’s already underway.