In a world where digital connectivity is an increasingly paramount consideration for consumers and businesses across the globe and across every industry, Lu Heng stands out as one of the innovative entrepreneurs endeavouring to shape the future of the Internet from the ground up. As the founder and CEO of IP solutions provider LARUS Limited, Heng has not only revolutionised the IP address market but has also emerged as a leading advocate for open, equitable Internet governance.
A global entrepreneur with deep roots in innovation
Originally from China, Lu Heng’s journey to becoming a global tech entrepreneur began during his university years in the Netherlands. At the University of Groningen, where he studied international business and economics, Heng first delved into the world of Internet governance within the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) community.
RIRs are organisations responsible for managing the allocation and registration of Internet number resources within a particular region of the world. This includes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses–the unique identifiers assigned to any device that connects to the Internet–and Autonomous System (AS) numbers, unique identifiers assigned to a larger group of IP addresses such as an end-user organisation or a Local Internet Registry.
There are five RIRs globally, each serving a specific geographical region: AFRINIC (Africa), APNIC (Asia-Pacific), ARIN (North America), LACNIC (Latin America and the Caribbean), and RIPE NCC (Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia). These registries are intended to ensure the fair distribution of IP addresses, support Internet infrastructure development, and foster community-driven policy development. Engaging with this RIR community from a young age, Heng attended conferences across the world, absorbing key knowledge directly from the founders of this critical pillar of global Internet infrastructure.
This early experience allowed Lu Heng to see the writing on the wall and recognise the looming crisis of IPv4 address exhaustion. As more and more devices became connected and the IP addresses began to grow scarce, Heng founded LARUS Limited in 2016. The company was established with a clear mission: to address the growing shortage of IP addresses which threatened to impede the equitable expansion of the Internet, especially in developing regions.
LARUS quickly became a global leader in IP solutions by introducing a flexible IP leasing model, an innovation which made IP addresses more accessible and affordable, particularly for small Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and tech firms in Africa and Asia, regions traditionally underserved by the RIR network. From its headquarters in Hong Kong, and additional offices in Shanghai and Wuhan, LARUS has leased over 10 million IP addresses to clients around the world, located in more than 60 countries.
Championing open and inclusive Internet governance
Beyond his own personal entrepreneurial ventures, Lu Heng is a passionate advocate for open, multistakeholder Internet governance. He has been adamant about his belief that the Internet’s full potential can only be realised through a governance model that includes voices from all nations, thereby ensuring that important decisions reflect the diverse needs of a global user base. Heng’s vision is encapsulated in his mantra “One World, One Internet,” which emphasises the importance of a unified and free digital space.
His commitment to this vision is evident in his extensive involvement with global Internet governance bodies. As a member of the Pacific Telecommunications Council’s Advisory Council and an active participant in the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Heng tirelessly promotes principles of bottom-up, inclusive decision-making. He routinely advocates for protecting net neutrality, opposing censorship, and fostering international cooperation to keep the Internet free and open.
In his address at the recent International Telecoms Week (ITW) 2024, Heng outlined the compelling benefits of decentralising the Internet via distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain, to maintain the Internet as a vital public good over the coming century.
On the economic front, Heng highlighted the eye-opening reality that despite IPv4 addresses’ collective market capitalisation being valued at between $100 and 200 billion, their annual trading volume stands at merely $1 billion–representing liquidity of less than 0.5%. Remarking that IP addresses account for roughly 10% of the market capitalisation of telecoms giants such as BT, Heng asserted that freeing pent-up IP liquidity could boost these precious resources’ value by up to 250 times, fuelling a tenfold market cap increase for telecoms firms.
Positioning finite, intrinsically valuable IPv4 addresses as the stable virtual asset that the world has been looking for, Lu Heng made the broader case for the decentralised management and distribution of IPv4 addresses as a core pillar of the secure, resilient and open Internet of the future, notably by protecting against geopolitical tensions and shutdowns enabled by the authoritarian manipulation of a centralised, bureaucratic and outdated RIR system.
Educational and charitable initiatives: The LARUS Foundation
In 2019, Heng expanded his impact by establishing the LARUS Foundation, aiming to raise awareness and educate the next generation on Internet governance. So far, the Foundation’s Fellowship Programme has enabled over a thousand students to participate in top-tier Internet governance conferences and policy-making forums–an initiative that not only broadens these young people’s horizons but also ensures that the perspectives of younger, diverse voices are included in the global dialogue on Internet policies.
Furthermore, the Foundation collaborates with universities and other NGOs to provide governance training workshops and internships, nurturing future leaders who will hopefully champion an open and democratic Internet.
Crafting a fairer Internet for tomorrow
Lu Heng’s own journey from a university student dipping his toes into the global RIR community to a global leader in Internet governance is a testament to his visionary thinking and relentless pursuit of innovation in the Internet space. His work not only addresses the technical challenges of Internet expansion but also champions a more inclusive and fair digital future. Heng is inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs and policymakers to continue building an Internet that serves all of humanity, not just the privileged few.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it is vital to follow Lu Heng’s lead and fight to ensure that the Internet remains a dynamic, open, and transformative force. His commitment to fostering a collaborative, multistakeholder approach to Internet governance sets a powerful example for future leaders in the tech industry.
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