Registrars line up to control .net domains
Link: Registrars line up to control .net domains
Five companies have now been short-listed to administer the internet’s third largest registry - the .net TLD - which will be re-contracted from July 2005.
Over the next two months a group of advisors, under the auspices of ICANN will make the decision as to which of the five contenders is most likely to serve the best interests of the .net registry, its users, and the internet overall.
So far the shortlist comprises of:
The chosen company will find itself administrating over 5 million .net domains, which VeriSign currently administrates for a fee of $6 per domain - a figure other companies claim exists for VeriSign’s benefit, not the consumer.
VeriSign is still a favourite to retain the contract, but German company Denic is expected to offer a serious challenge, already handling over 8 million .de domains - the world’s second largest registry, after .com.
Both these two companies are fighting fiercely for the potentially lucrative contract, and both have managed to persuade a number of major industry board figures to send in cloned letters of recommendation supporting one or the other.
If you can stomach the reading, the letters are available online here: .net Correspondence
