A method for managing an address resource, comprising: receiving, by a management gateway device, an address delegation request message sent by a gateway device in a same gateway group, wherein the gateway group comprises multiple gateway devices, one of the multiple gateway devices acting as the management gateway device to manage address pools; wherein the address pools managed by the management gateway comprise a shared address pool and exclusive address pools; wherein all addresses in an exclusive address pool are delegated by the management gateway device exclusively to one gateway device; the addresses in an exclusive address pool to be allocated by the gateway device to users of one user group only; wherein the addresses in the shared address pool are delegated by the management gateway device to multiple gateway devices; and a user group is constituted by user terminals having a same access attribute or being connected to the same gateway device; determining by the management gateway device whether a non-delegated exclusive address pool exists; when a non-delegated exclusive address pool exists in the address pools managed by the management gateway device, including by the management gateway device said exclusive address pool as delegated address in a response message; and when a non-delegated exclusive address pool does not exist in the address pools managed by the management gateway device, acquiring, by the management gateway device, addresses from the shared address pool and including the addresses as delegated address in a response message; wherein the acquiring addresses from the shared address pool comprises if the address delegation request message does not include information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring at least one address from the shared address pool; and if the address delegation request message includes information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring the number of addresses as specified in the address delegation request from the shared address pool; sending said response message including said delegated address to the gateway device from which said address delegation request message was sent; receiving (303, 306), by the gateway device, the response message; acquiring (304, 307), by the gateway device, the delegated address in the response message; and allocating (305, 308), by the gateway device, the delegated address to user terminals. receiving, by a management gateway device, an address delegation request message sent by a gateway device in a same gateway group, wherein the gateway group comprises multiple gateway devices, one of the multiple gateway devices acting as the management gateway device to manage address pools; wherein the address pools managed by the management gateway comprise a shared address pool and exclusive address pools; wherein all addresses in an exclusive address pool are delegated by the management gateway device exclusively to one gateway device; the addresses in an exclusive address pool to be allocated by the gateway device to users of one user group only; wherein the addresses in the shared address pool are delegated by the management gateway device to multiple gateway devices; and a user group is constituted by user terminals having a same access attribute or being connected to the same gateway device; determining by the management gateway device whether a non-delegated exclusive address pool exists; when a non-delegated exclusive address pool exists in the address pools managed by the management gateway device, including by the management gateway device said exclusive address pool as delegated address in a response message; and when a non-delegated exclusive address pool does not exist in the address pools managed by the management gateway device, acquiring, by the management gateway device, addresses from the shared address pool and including the addresses as delegated address in a response message; wherein the acquiring addresses from the shared address pool comprises if the address delegation request message does not include information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring at least one address from the shared address pool; and if the address delegation request message includes information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring the number of addresses as specified in the address delegation request from the shared address pool; if the address delegation request message does not include information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring at least one address from the shared address pool; and if the address delegation request message includes information about the number of requested addresses, acquiring the number of addresses as specified in the address delegation request from the shared address pool; sending said response message including said delegated address to the gateway device from which said address delegation request message was sent; receiving (303, 306), by the gateway device, the response message; acquiring (304, 307), by the gateway device, the delegated address in the response message; and allocating (305, 308), by the gateway device, the delegated address to user terminals.