The Irish registry, IE Domain Registry (IEDR), reported this week that the first quarter of 2009 saw the highest number of .IE domain name registrations for any quarter to date and defying the global financial crisis.
While IEDR has restrictive rules for the registration of .IE domain names, the latest figures showed a total of 9,781 .IE domains were registered in the first quarter of 2009. This was up 28 per cent on the previous quarter. The previous highest quarter was the corresponding quarter in 2008 with 9,092 registrations. There are now over 125,000 .IE domain names registered.
âWe are very pleased with the strong growth in .ie domain names so far in 2009,â said Mr. David Curtin, Chief Executive of the IE Domain Registry.
âIt is encouraging to see that despite the economic downturn, businesses are still seeing opportunities for growth online, with over 7,500 domain names registered by businesses in the first three months of the year. Irish businesses and consumers can rely on having a safe and secure online experience when they use .ie domain names.â
The growth in registrations has been assisted by six consecutive years of reductions in the cost of registering .IE domain names, making .IE domain names more affordable, with prices falling 60 per cent since 2003.
Of the registrations, more than 80 per cent of new .IE domain name registrations are from sole traders or limited companies, while the remainder have been registered by clubs, societies and charities.