Verisign ended the second quarter of 2021 with 170.6 million .com and .net domain name registrations in the domain name base, a 5.2% increase in 12 months, and a net increase of 2.59 million during the second quarter of 2021, according to the company’s second quarter 201 results.
During the second quarter of 2021, Verisign reports they processed 11.7 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net, compared to 11.1 million for the same quarter in 2020, while the final .com and .net renewal rate for the first quarter of 2021 was 76.0% compared to 75.4% for the same quarter in 2020.
The .com and .net registry also reported revenue of $329 million for the second quarter of 2021, up 4.8% from the same quarter in 2020 and net income of $148 million.
“We’re pleased with the operational and financial results of the quarter as well as the continued efforts of our dedicated team. Last week we reached a new milestone for our critical internet infrastructure by marking 24 years of 100% availability in the .com/.net domain name resolution system,” said Jim Bidzos, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
SWITCH, the ccTLD registry for .ch (Switzerland) and .li (Lichtenstein), has a new Managing Director. Tom Kleiber took over the role of managing director at the beginning of the year and recently published a Q&A with Kleiber. Kleiber explains how he views his new role and what are his goals.
Kleiber, who has spent almost three decades working in the ICT industry. He said he’s “repeatedly heard people say that SWITCH does an excellent job of operating critical infrastructures and that we’re reliable and enjoy a great deal of trust. On the flip side, they’d like us to play an even more active role. In a dynamic, complex and volatile world that’s becoming ever more digitalised, our community expects more than just stability and security; it’s also looking for innovation, flexibility and speed. While this might sound like a challenging balancing act, it’s a legitimate and realistic concern.”
Currently Kleiber says he’s focusing a great deal of his energies on the implementation of a new “ambitious” strategy, which was developed prior to his commencement in January.
The full Q&A is available here: https://www.switch.ch/stories/The-success-story-continues/
SWITCH have also appointed a data protection officer, Anna Kuhn, due to the growing importance and complexity of data protection law. Kuhn was previously General Counsel at SWITCH, and her role will be taken over by Nora Zinsli, who will form the legal department at SWITCH, together with Angelo Marchetta. Anna Kuhn will remain Secretary General of the foundation and take over the product management of the SWITCHlegal consultancy, which she will run for our community together with Nora Zinsli.
China is aiming to have 700 million users of IPv6-based services by the end of 2023 according to a plan unveiled by three government bodies including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, according to a report in the China Daily.
The plan said China aims to build a benign development pattern of advanced IPv6 technology, industry, facilities, applications and security systems by the end of 2023.
The Slovenian country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry, Registry.si, has published their strategic guidelines [pdf] for the next five years. Registry.si notes the strategic goals are a cornerstone document on goals, values and development of Registry.si.
The strategic goals are to ensure the stability and security of .si, to make .si the first choice, the development of the internet in Slovenia and to be socially responsible and sustainable.
auDA is currently seeking feedback on their 2021-25 Proposed Strategy. The .au ccTLD manager says “the Proposed Strategy has been prepared through a thorough strategic planning process that identified opportunities to build value for Australians and the global Internet community through auDA’s work administering the .au domain.”
A Consultation Paper is available on the auDA website, which summarises auDA’s updated purpose and vision and its proposed strategic program of work for the next four years. It also sets out the consultation process and questions that auDA is seeking community feedback on.
Consultation is open from today until 19 August 2021. For more information visit: www.auda.org.au/strategyconsultation
A number of registries, including Verisign with their NameStudio and nic.at with their DomainFinder, have developed domain name suggestion tools to help potential registrants find the best available domain name for them. Another one to have developed a suggestion tool is SIDN, the Dutch ccTLD registry. The Suggestion Tool API is available for Registrars to implement on their websites to make choosing a .nl domain name easier for customers and resellers.