Dot-ie registrations up 30 percent

21-12-2006

by Charlie Taylor

The number of dot-ie domains registered has risen by 30 percent over the past 12 months to more than 70,000, according to the IE Domain Registry.

And over 10,000 domain names have been registered since May 2006 alone. IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the organisation which doles out the dot-ie (.ie) internet address, said on Thursday that is to reduce the cost for new registrations and renewals from 1 January 2007.

The retail price IEDR charges for dot-ie domains will drop by 13 percent from EUR79.00 (ex-VAT) to EUR69.00 (ex-VAT).

This latest price reduction follows a series of price cuts over the past three years which has seen the total reduction in dot-ie domain registrations and renewals fall by 50 percent.

In a statement, the IEDR said the latest reduction was being introduced as a result of continued growth in registrations.

"A 50 percent reduction in our prices since 2003 clearly shows the IEDR's commitment to giving consumers value for money," said the registry's chief executive David Curtin. "With over 70,000 dot-ie domains representing almost 40 percent of the Irish domain market, the sustained growth of the IEDR demonstrates the demand for domains from a highly respected managed registry."

The IEDR also recently told resellers that it will reduce the wholesale rate it charges for domain registrations by 14 percent, a move that has been welcomed by some resellers.

"Its good news for everyone," said Michele Neylon, chief executive of hosting firm Blacknight Solutions.

Neylon told ENN the new retail price cuts mean it will now be cheaper to register dot-ie domains directly with the IEDR than through some resellers. Neylon claims that in the past, a number of registration providers failed to pass reductions on to clients.

"A lot of resellers harp on about lower pricing, but in a lot of cases what they're doing is giving out the first dot-ie for free, or charging less if you also take hosting with them, so basically it's a 'strings-attached' deal," said Neylon.

The IEDR itself recently called on registration providers to follow its lead in its Christmas message to the sector.

"We have dropped our prices considerably over the past three years (although they are still high by international standards) and we think it would be a good move for retail prices to drop also. If dot-ie costs and interface costs are falling faster than retail prices, resellers can grow without hurting their margins and profits," said the IEDR in its reseller e-zine.

"It will be interesting to see what happens from here," added Neylon. "For the first time the IEDR have publicly asked those of us who act as registrars for dot-ie's to pass on the savings because what's happened in previous years is that the IEDR have dropped wholesale prices but only a couple of us have then reduced the retail price."