Internet domain registration trends revealed by report

IRISH INTERNET domain registrars have edged out international competition in recent years to become the market’s biggest players according to a report by the IE Domain Registry.

The registry's Domain Industry Report, published yesterday, found that the country's internet address reseller space had changed significantly in recent years and was also in the midst of major consolidation.

“At the start of the decade, the majority of the domain market was held by internet service providers but that has now totally turned around and it’s dominated by hosting service providers,” said David Curtin, chief executive of the registry.

“So the likes of Eircom who were very active in the domain market before are not any more.

“It shows that the market has matured and they’re now able to offer a level of price and service that’s comparable to US hosters.”

The report was compiled to mark 10 years of the registry and the registration of the 150,000th .ie domain. It shows that the Irish domain space has grown consistently since 2000, when there were under 10,000 .ie internet addresses registered.

The report says there are over 355,000 domains, including .com, registered in the Irish market, a doubling since 2006.

This growth has continued even through the recession, with 34,416 .ie domains registered in 2009; however, the number of non-renewals has also increased in recent years.

According to Curtin, the latter indicates a rise in business failures and cost-cutting, while the former shows a trend towards many people recently made redundant starting their own companies.

Sole traders represent about one-quarter of all .ie domains, while corporate bodies make up nearly 58 per cent.The slight loosening of registration restrictions and the significant reduction in cost, down 60 per cent since 2000, have also helped .ie domains to grow in recent years.

“There is probably a residual impression that registering an .ie domain requires whole swathes of paperwork but it does not,” said Curtin.

“The authentication process is just about showing a right of ownership and, while it’s not as easy as a .com, we feel the benefit you get from that outweighs the downsides.”

Curtin said a policy advisory committee had been established to look at issues such as registration requirements for .ie but he did not expect the system to be altered as a result of this.

Holders of .ie domains are also unable to resell them at present, unless it is as part of a company sale, but the report says a White Paper is being prepared to review this. Internationally, some domains have fetched significant prices in recent years, with Insure.com last year selling for $16 million (€12 million).