Less than one week to go in .IE domain consultation process

IEDR Identifiably Irish logoThere is less than one week to go in the public consultation process on  two-letter domain registration, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) said. All interested parties are advised to have their say before the 30-day public consultation process ends on 9th July.

This is the first time that Irish businesses will be able to register one- and two-letter .ie domain names, say the IEDR, allowing for up to 676 possible two-letter domain name combinations, including hp.ie, pc.ie, hr.ie and aa.ie, amongst others.

While many other international domain registries have allowed for two-letter domain names to be registered, like cd.com and ba.co.uk, this is the first time Irish companies will be able to register a two-letter .ie domain. One–letter domains will also be made available to register under the current plans.

In the UK, when its domain registry made one- and two-letter domain names available, there was strong demand coupled with an intense bidding process that saw in excess of £3 million (€4.1 million) raised through the auction process.

There is expected to be similar demand and equally intense competition for some domain names in Ireland, particularly in the case of company abbreviations that are shared by one or more companies, such as HP, BT or AA. Additionally more general two-letter domain names which describe a specific type of business or service such as HR are also expected to be in demand.

The exact release process and mechanism of one- and two-letter domain registration will be confirmed on completion of the public consultation.

David Curtin, CEO of IEDR, said: “At IEDR we have been working for 15 years with Irish businesses, voluntary organisations and with individuals to help them register Irish internet domain names which are relevant to them or their business. Offering one- and two-letter domains is a welcome further extension of those services.

“We are calling on interested parties to express their opinions during our 30-day public consultation process. IEDR’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) has worked diligently to consider the policy change and to build consensus among stakeholder organisations on the best release mechanisms. It is now the turn of the public to express its views.”

A public consultation document and FAQ are available to download from the IEDR’s website at https://www.iedr.ie/p30/policy-development/.

This IEDR news release was sourced from:
https://www.iedr.ie/2015/07/less-than-one-week-to-go-in-domain-consultation-process/