Registrar Connections

VeriSign will host Registrar Days events in Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo this May. The one-day events in each city are designed for registrar executives with responsibility for strategy, marketing and the general business. Participating registrars will have the opportunity to learn about the latest global industry trends, Internet growth realities and impacts, region-specific research data, products and product-news from VeriSign as well as network with other registrars.

Agenda topics will include IDN opportunities and key trends, market research information, and product updates. All .com and .net accredited VeriSign registrars are invited and encouraged to attend.

Domain Name Industry Brief

The Domain Name Industry closed 2007 with more than 153 million domain name registrations worldwide across all of the Top Level Domain Names (TLDs), an increase of nearly 33 million domain name registrations since the close of 2006. In the last quarter of 2007, the base of domain name registrations grew 27 percent over the fourth quarter of 2006 and five percent over the third quarter of 2007. This growth rate is slightly lower than the rest of the quarters in 2007 but is in line with the traditional seasonal slowing due to the fourth quarter holidays.

The total base of Country Code Top Level Domain Names (ccTLDs) grew to 58 million by the end of 2007. The overall ccTLD domain name base experienced a 24 percent increase year over year and a six percent increase quarter over quarter.

Across all of the gTLDs and ccTLDs, .com has the highest base followed by .de (Germany), .net and .cn (China). The fifth spot is shared by .uk (United Kingdom) and .org. with approximately the same size base of domain name registrations. (See footnote)

The Domain Name Industry Brief series highlights key trends in the industry, key performance indicators and growth opportunities. VeriSign will issue the latest report with full findings later this month.

The gTLD and ccTLD data cited in this report are estimates as of the time of the report and subject to change as more complete data is received.

SSL Webinar: Post-Event Update

The VeriSign Naming Services team launched a series of webinars on domain name technology and business-focused topics in 2007. Due to its success and the continued requests from registrars, we will continue the webinars throughout 2008. The webinars are conducted by key VeriSign executives – often by the primary project leaders of the research or developers behind the technology. The Webinar series’ goal is to share and provide registrars with valuable insight into the domain name industry and new trends shaping our business.

“Extended Validation SSL Reseller Seminar,” the Web-based seminar held last month in direct response to requests received from our European channel was well-attended. Delivering the joint-presentation were two VeriSign executives: Armando Dacal, director of worldwide channel sales, and Jay Schiavo, senior product manager of SSL.

Together, they discussed an overview of SSL certificates and the vital importance of registrars offering essential value-added service to their customers. The presentation included key topics such as phishing, extended validation SSL, and the benefits for the registrars’ customers.

We welcome your suggestions on other domain name topics that interest you. You may send your comments, questions or suggestions via email to namingmarketing@verisign.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Announcing the new Chat Service

As you may have read in last month’s issue, one of our goals for 2008 is to enhance our customer communications process by implementing a new “chat” service for real-time, online customer support.

I am very pleased to announce the launch of “Chat Now!” the instant message service that will allow customers to chat directly with a VeriSign Registry Technical Support Representative (TSR) starting on February 29th. Just look for the Chat button at the top right on all Domain Name Services web pages – both public and password protected pages (for example, www.verisign.com/support/registrar) and click on it to be instantly connected to a live TSR. Our goal is to have this service available 24/7; however, if for some reason a TSR is not available, you will be prompted to send an email.

The “Chat Now!” service has undergone several testing phases and refinements based on customer feedback and recommendations. We are confident that the final result of “Chat Now!” will provide the highest possible level of convenience, quality and efficiency for our customers.

As we strive to continuously improve the quality of our customer service, it is vital that you, our customers, avail of the “Chat Now!” service as much as possible. Simply click on the “Chat Now!” button, type in your question in the chat box and hit ‘Send.’ A TSR will respond promptly.

Thank you to all the registrars who helped us during the “Chat Now!” testing and refinement period. We hope that this new service will help you get the answers to your questions quickly and efficiently and thus, empower you to perform your jobs better.

Compliance Corner: Registry System Access Security Practices

Access to VeriSign systems and information is granted only after proper authentication. In order to protect the integrity of the authentication process, VeriSign has outlined the best practices requirements as related to accessing to the VeriSign Registry Systems, including the Shared Registration System (SRS), the .com/.net Registrar Tool and the Name Store Manager. The goal of the Best Practices and Requirements for VeriSign Registry Systems Access is to provide security while also preserving the functionality necessary for registrars to conduct business with VeriSign. I will concentrate on two areas of security in this article, production user id and password and registrar security phrase.

For efficiency, VeriSign recommends that the registrar security phrase and their password be updated at the same time. VeriSign considers these practices to be an integral part of keeping your access to the registration systems and information at the registry secure and the Customer Affairs Office will be conducting periodic audits to validate compliance. If you are contacted by the Customer Affairs Office, please update these items timely. Of course, the goal is to not be contacted at all by making certain that you monitor when you last updated your Production User ID / Password and Registrar Security Phrase and update both every 90 days.

Smart Tool for Improving Renewal Rates

It is commonly known that it is more economical to retain a current customer than it is to find a new one. In the domain name business, retention means renewal of a domain name. Renewing existing registrations is a continuous task, but the reward is a valuable revenue stream for registrars.

Whether a domain name resolves to a Web site has proven to be a key factor in higher renewal rates. Not surprisingly, domain names that resolve are more likely to be renewed because they are actively used and generate traffic.

VeriSign Naming Services can assist registrars in their renewal efforts by identifying domain names that do not resolve and providing this data in a convenient format. Registrars can then use this information to send targeted emails to customers whose domain names don’t resolve and offer them services for Web site hosting, for example, along with their registration renewal offer. Or, they might choose to offer discounts for renewing multiple domain names with the same expiration date and registrant contact information.

As always, we look forward to your participation and feedback in order to make this tool truly valuable for your business. To learn more and find out how you can put this information to work in your renewal efforts, please contact your Account Manager or Customer Support.

360 View: Key Operational Enhancements to Root Server Infrastructure

Investment in IPv6, DNSSEC, and Root Zone Update Upgrades Will Enhance Core Internet Operations

Mountain View, CA – February 11, 2008 – VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world, today announced key operational enhancements to the root server infrastructure that will help enable growth and innovation and set the stage for the introduction of additional security features for Internet operations.

VeriSign operates both the “A” and “J” root servers, two of the thirteen critically important Domain Name System (DNS) servers worldwide that enable Internet traffic. DNS translates domain names entered by Internet users into corresponding numerical IP addresses. Root servers are important DNS components that redirect requests to the appropriate top-level domain (TLD) name server. [Read more]

Customer Service: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Question: How many domains can a Registrar check on one command?
A: A bulk check command can have a maximum of 5 domain names. If you include more than 5 domain names, the check command will fail.

Q: How many subnet ranges can a Registrar have in the OTE environment?
A: Up to 10 ranges

Special Report from eMarketer - European Internet Hot Spots

Europe is a diverse region comprising 48 countries, 27 of which are in the European Union. The region contains some of the world's Internet usage leaders, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where penetration is around 80% of the population.

In contrast, countries such as Greece, Russia, Poland and Italy lag well behind the European average. But most of these nations are enjoying a surge of Internet growth. Within five years, only Russia will have less than half of its population online.

In terms of sheer size, Germany is the largest Internet market in Europe, followed by Russia and the UK, according to eMarketer’s recent estimates.

To read the full article, please contact Jennifer Moore at 212.763.6046 or send an email to jmoore@emarketer.com.

In the News

This section contains a selection of articles pertaining to the Domain Name Industry compiled by Information, Inc.

"Could IP Address Plan Mean Another IPv6 Delay?"
Network World (02/13/08) Marsan, Carolyn Duffy

The transition to IPv6 could perhaps be delayed further if Internet policymakers approve of changes to IP address distribution that could enable network operators to reap profits by transferring idle blocks of IPv4 address space to others in need. "Industry demand for IPv4 addresses will not stop, but the current supply channel, namely the unallocated IPv4 address pool, will have run out," says Asia Pacific Network Information Center scientist Geoff Huston. "So, as with any other commodity out there, trading and pricing gets included into the distribution function." Permitting ISPs to transfer IPv4 address registrations is a proposal that the American Registry for Internet Numbers is expected to soon post on its Web site, and in such a scenario the agency would supply a list of IPv4 address blocks that are available for transfer. The proposal would create an economic incentive for organizations to make IPv4 addresses available, although no one knows the exact profit potential. Huston says the Internet can no longer avoid developing an IPv4 transfer protocol for ISPs because the available pool of IPv4 addresses will be depleted before the IPv6 switchover is complete. However, the practice of IPv4 address trading is surrounded by unresolved issues, such as whether such a move will establish a financial market for IPv4 address space; whether it will postpone the IPv6 transition; and whether the Internet's core routers will be inundated with routing table announcements from ISPs. IPv4 address trading would probably yield the biggest advantages to companies, universities, and U.S. federal agencies that were assigned many IPv4 address blocks during the Internet's infancy. There is consensus among experts that the transition to IPv6 would be pushed back by several more years if IPv4 address transfer is allowed.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/021308-ipv6-delay.html

ICANN released its draft translation program for public comment on Feb. 13. The program's goal is to help ICANN inform and allow the participation of non-English-speaking Internet users. The 27-page report makes several recommendations on how to offer non-English speakers an equal level of access to ICANN. The report proposes that ICANN issue four different types of documents, with outreach information being made available in 10 languages other than English. These languages, which include Arabic and Chinese, would allow for ICANN to reach 85 percent of Internet users. The translation would be done by a third party, with policy documents translated into five additional languages. Also, ICANN meetings would feature interpreters who speak the national language and other common languages of the country where the meeting is taking place. ICANN officials hope to send the program to its board at its June meeting in Paris. http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-13feb08.htm

"Generic Top-Level Domain Names Not Necessarily More Reputable"
Equi Media (02/05/08)

Nominet says that generic TLDs "are different, rather than better," and might lack the legitimacy with which Web surfers associate such domains. For example, although .com, .net, and .org are among the most popular TLDs, Nominet's Phi Kingsland says many registrants have different intentions and utilize their sites accordingly. He notes that country-code TLDs are reliable, as the company is seeking a specific demographic, while the more generic .com would be appropriate for a company seeking a global audience. Kingsland also said that companies such as Amazon are international, yet remain with the .com extension to retain a local base. http://www.equimedia.co.uk/Generic-top-level-domain-names-not-necessarily-more-reputable-2008-02-05.htm

"Internet Society Announces New Board Members for Public Interest Registry"
Business Wire (02/04/08)

The Internet Society recently announced the appointment of Maarten Botterman and Kuo-Wei Wu to the Board of Directors of the Public Internet Registry. Botterman currently works to help companies and governments become more aware of environmental, social, and economic impacts. He has worked as the CEO of the Information Assurance Advisory Council and the Director of Information Society Policy Research at RAN Europe. Wu is the CEO of Taiwan's National Information Infrastructure Enterprise Promotion Association. He is also a member of the Executive Council of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre and an executive member of the Taiwan Internet Service Provider Association.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080204005967&newsLang=en

February 2008

In this issue:

Asia Registrar Days: Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo – May 2008