DomainPeople Is Founding Member Of International Consortium Looking To Create New Internet Domain Names
Vancouver, BC - October 4, 2000
World's Leading Registrars Unite to introduce New Top Level
Domains With Global Appeal
DomainPeople, Inc. an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited domain name registrar, announced today that Afilias, an international consortium of nineteen of the world's leading domain name registrars which includes DomainPeople, Inc., as well as Network Solutions Inc., a VeriSign company (Nasdaq: VRSN) and Register.com (Nasdaq: RCOM), has applied to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate an unrestricted generic top level domain (TLD) registry intended to transform the Internet into a truly global resource for individuals and businesses everywhere.
True globalization of the Internet requires a domain name choice beyond the existing generic TLDs - principally .com, .net, and .org - which are primarily used by Americans. With new choices for domain names, Internet users will be able to secure web site addresses of their first choice. Afilias proposed three possible TLD names to ICANN. If its application is approved by ICANN later this year, Afilias will announce its TLD name selection.
"We are pioneering a new channel in cyberspace to foster international communication and commerce," said John L. Kane, head of Afilias' marketing task force. "There is no reason to limit access to what is truly the world's most unifying vehicle. Our mission is to quickly eliminate the digital divide and promote a global community."
With its powerful alliance of the world's leading registrar companies, Afilias believes it has the industry experience to effectively administer a new worldwide registry. Building an entirely new registry system will permit Afilias to employ next-generation solutions to address limitations in the current registry system. Afilias' open business model, which will allow other ICANN-accredited registrars to join the consortium, promotes growth and competition for the Internet community and its registrars, a long-term goal of ICANN.
"We are delighted in being a founding member of Afilias and participating in an organization that will promote greater communication among Internet users," said Joseph Kibur, CEO of DomainPeople, Inc. and board member of the newly formed Afilias. "DomainPeople contributed to the technical, business and marketing task forces during the development stages of Afilias, and is pleased to be a part of this strategic international venture. We look forward to the introduction of new top level domains in the market place as this event will trigger an influx of new domain registrations which will help fuel our future growth."
"Drawing on the experience and expertise of our member registrars, Afilias is in a unique position to enhance the domain name system while maintaining the stability of the Internet," said Ken Stubbs, a member of the Board of Afilias and chairman of the executive committee of the Internet Council of Registrars (CORE). "We have the international resources necessary to implement and responsibly manage a global TLD."
Afilias decided to act on its vision of a broader domain name space in July following ICANN's decision to accept applications for the introduction of new TLDs. Afilias submitted an application to ICANN on October 2, 2000. Applications that are approved later this year could be permitted to operate new TLDs as early as 2001. ICANN is hosting a two-week public comment period online at http://www.icann.org beginning October 5th. Afilias will also provide information updates and invite feedback on its web site http://www.afilias.org.
Increased Traffic on the World Wide Web
Internet use and domain name registration is on the rise, according to research firm LightSpeed Research. International surveys conducted online in September 2000 reveal that during a typical month, nearly half of the respondents (47 percent) spend 11 hours or more online. One in four Internet users have registered a domain name in the past, and over half (55 percent) are likely to register a domain name in the future.
Of American Internet users, nearly half (49 percent) have registered a domain name, according to surveys conducted by Yankelovich Partners in September 2000. This includes two out of five Internet users (40 percent) who have registered up to five domain names and nine percent who have registered six or more names. Half of those surveyed (50 percent) say they are likely to register a domain name in the future.
"According to recent studies, more than 75 million domain names are expected to be registered by the end of 2002," said Kane. "Increased traffic on the World Wide Web requires new avenues to meet the growing need for a truly global Internet address. If Afilias is given the opportunity to operate a new TLD, we will attempt to expand the use of the Internet and endeavor to eradicate digital stereotypes currently associated with the US-centric dominant .com address."
About DomainPeople, Inc.
DomainPeople (http://www.domainpeople.com) is one of the oldest ICANN-accredited domain name registrars offering all the major domain extensions — .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .pro, .us, .ca, .co – and many others since 1999. DomainPeople also delivers reliable and secure hosting and email solutions to customers and resellers in more than 130 countries, and has registered more than a million domain names worldwide.
Media Contact: pr@domainpeople.com
Phone Number: +1.604.639.1680
