Hello N3 Lite Readers,

The NetNames secure .biz application service is now active through www.gtld.com. The service runs until September 17, 2001. For further information, please see the gTLD Update below.

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to answer the questionnaire in last week's newsletter. The winner of the ccTLD case of wine will be contacted shortly.

Colette - N3lite@netnames.com

NetNames Secure .Biz Application service now available

This week saw the launch of NetNames' secure .biz application service. From this you can apply for your .biz domain name through two options.

Option 1: £60 Standard Domain Application includes:
· Application fee
· 2 year registration fees if successful
· Full refund less £10 administration charge if unsuccessful

Option 2: £500 Domain Lockdown includes:
· Application fee
· 10 year registration fees if successful
· Name placed on Registrar Lock
   Enhanced security for your domain name by prevention of unauthorised registrar/ISP transfer, amendments or deletion of the domain name.
· Full refund less £10 administration charge if unsuccessful

US Department of Commerce approves .info into DNS root zone

First .info Web site, Afilias.info, live June 27, 2001

Afilias, the registry selected by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate the new .info top-level domain (TLD), of which NetNames is a member, this week announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce entered the .info TLD into the domain name system root zone on June 27, 2001, completing the final step in the approval process for the rollout of the first, new unrestricted domain name. .info's entrance into the root zone will enable .info domain names and Web sites to become live and accessible through Internet browsers. The first of these is http://www.afilias.info

"We are pleased to see this process come to fruition with the expeditious efforts of both ICANN and the Department of Commerce," said Hal Lubsen, CEO of Afilias. "We have secured the final piece of the puzzle to enable the rollout of the first truly global domain that will facilitate intuitive and direct communication world-wide."

Initially, the domain will be operated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which will conduct various testing procedures. After the initial registrations for .info domain names are ready for processing, IANA will transition the domain to Afilias servers in time for the September 19 resolution date.

Registration will commence on July 25, 2001 with the Sunrise Period during which trademark holders and service mark holders will be able to register their exact marks. On September 12, 2001 registration will be opened to the general public and will be governed without restrictions on who may register. Both the Sunrise Period and the beginning of open registration will be governed by a special randomized process to handle the anticipated volume as well as decrease the potential for cybersquatting and other abuses. Registered .info domain names will then begin to resolve through Web browsers on September 19, making .info the first of the new TLDs to go live.

2. Industry News

.eu - the latest installment

European Union ministers this week approved the introduction of the .eu domain name, paving the way for a new TLD for pan-European companies and organisations. The next stage sees the proposal going before the European Parliament, which if agreed could see .eu going live early next year.

3. Nic News

Ukraine in .ua power struggle

Ukraine's country code top level domain, .ua, is in trouble as the company that registered it is no longer in existence, its founders having fled to the West.

In a bizarre turn of events, the Ukrainian government has stated that the successor to the KGB, the SBU, will take over the ccTLD. The current network administrator who has official control of .ua and works on a voluntary basis has said he will only give up the responsibility to a service 'based on the Internet principle of nondiscrimination, and open to everybody.' He does not believe that the SBU is such an organisation.

If the Ukranian government presses its case, it could become a serious test for the still-evolving rules for administering ccTLDs. The current guidelines state that 'a government's wishes with respect to a ccTLD must be given very serious weight', but that 'it is equally important to shield a ccTLD manager from shifting political winds'.

4 NetNames News

NetBenefit and NetNames do the eBrandLeaders unique 'double'

UK's top 50 ebrands recognised by the Superbrand Organisation

NetBenefit and NetNames have been awarded eBrandLeaders status by the Superbrands Organisation, recognising them as two of the UK's 50 strongest Internet-dedicated brands. The achievement marks six years of consistent quality and service by the two brands in the Internet solutions market.

NetNames and NetBenefit are two of the UK's most established Internet companies, having been created in 1995 and 1996, respectively. NetBenefit specialises in web hosting and Internet solutions for the SME market, whilst NetNames is one of the UK's leading domain name management companies. NetBenefit acquired NetNames in January 2000, and since then the two companies have operated as part of the NetBenefit Group.

The brands were selected from tens of thousands of ebrands by the Superbrands eCouncil - a group of leading figures in the world of Internet branding.

"It's a great achievement that both NetBenefit and NetNames have been recognised by the Superbrands Organisation for their contribution to UK e-branding," said Jonathan Robinson, CEO of the NetBenefit plc. "The last year has been the toughest yet for the Internet industry, and of course no company is invincible, but establishing two strong brands has laid a very solid foundation for a long-term successful business strategy, and I'm delighted this has been recognised by the Superbrands Organisation."

"In a world which is seeing the extinction of Internet related companies on a daily basis, analysts have struggled to establish the ingredient of survival. I believe the chief ingredient is prudent branding. The best built ebrands stand the best chance of survival," said Marcel Knobil, Chairperson of the Superbrands Organisation. "There are only a handful of Internet-dedicated brands that merit Superbrands status, but there are a number of companies that are building brands in a far superior fashion than the rest of those within the ebrand stampede."

For further information, please visit the web sites at www.netbenefit.com and www.netnames.com. The eBrandLeaders web site can be viewed at www.ebrandleaders.org.

UK users most likely to visit e-commerce sites

New research from NetValue has found that Britain had the highest percentage of home Internet users visiting an e-commerce site in May 2001.

NetValue's data is drawn from monitoring Internet use in eight countries (Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United States). In May 2001, 75.9 percent of UK home Internet users visited an e-tailing site, of which 42.1 percent of those used a secure connection. In the United States, 73.9 percent of home Internet users visited an e-commerce site, with just 28.8 percent making a secure connection.

The research also found that, although Sweden and Denmark have the largest proportion of households online, Swedes and Danes are least likely to shop online. Only 8.1 percent of Danish visitors and 6.9 percent of Swedish visitors to an e-commerce Web site actually entered a secure area of a site.