global domain performance in 2006: 32% increase over 2005

Domain Name Industry Brief Reports 32 Percent Rise in Registrations Over 2005  

The latest issue of the VeriSign® Domain Name Industry Brief reports that as of the end of 2006, total domain name registrations reached 120 million, representing a 32 percent increase over 2005 and an eight percent increase over the third quarter of 2006.

The domain name industry continued to experience strong growth in the fourth quarter of 2006, with more than 11.6 million new registered domain names, a three percent increase year over year and a 23 percent increase from the third quarter.

Registrations for ccTLDs increased 31 percent year over year to 43.7 million, and 10 percent from the previous quarter with more than four million registrations. China alone added more than 500,000 domains in the fourth quarter, a 43 percent increase over last quarter.

The base of .COM and .NET domain names grew to 65 million domain names by the close of 2006, representing a six percent increase in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter of 2006, and a 30 percent increase year over year.