Since December 9, 2014, Afnic has allowed the registration of domain names under the .fr TLD consisting of only one or two character(s).
The first phase in opening these new short domain names, called the “Sunrise” phase, opened on December 9, 2014 and ended on February 9, 2015. During the first registration period, only rights holders could apply to register short domain names under the .fr TLD. 111 short domain names were registered during this phase.
On February 16, 2015, a new period opens, during which any interested person may register a short domain name under the .fr TLD which is still available, as listed below. During this second “Landrush” phase, a sliding scale is applied based on the calendar week in which the domain name is registered (the terms are specified in the registration rules). This system, with high prices for the first three weeks (starting at 15,000 euros per domain name and ending the fourth week at 100 euros), is designed to prevent the (high) value of domain names with 1 or 2 characters being immediately privatized by resellers. Given that a domain name is an intangible asset of a company, its acquisition cost at levels in line with the market is a long-term investment with regard to advertising prices.
Finally, as of March 17, 2015, the general public can purchase the domain names still available at the current rate for all of the .fr namespace.
Profits used to reduce digital inequality in France
The profits generated during this opening phase, as all those resulting from the management of the .fr TLD, will go to the future Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity, which is designed to support solidarity actions in the field using digital technology to improve social cohesion and enhance equal opportunities.
For further information:
- Registration rules for domain names with 1 or 2 character(s) under the .fr TLD.
- List of domain names with 1 or 2 characters available for registration from February 16, 2015
- The .fr TLD Naming Policy.
- Calendar for current and future phases:
|
Landrush phase |
From February 16, 2015 15:00 (UTC+1, Paris time) to March 17, 2015 14:59 (UTC+1, Paris time) |
Period during which any interested party may apply for the registration of a domain name with 1 & 2 characters, provided it has not already been registered during the Sunrise phase. During this phase, Afnic will gradually apply price discounts. |
|
General availability |
March 17, 2015 15:00 (UTC+1, Paris time) |
Starting from this date, any person may register domain names with 1 & 2 characters that were not registered during the Sunrise and Landrush phases. |
About Afnic
Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.
In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.
Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.
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