The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the company responsible for managing the registration of .ie domain names, has reduced its annual fee for owning a .ie address by 10pc.
The new annual rate for owning an individual .ie domain is €112 plus Vat, compared to the old rate of €125 plus Vat. The 10pc reduction is across the board and will apply to new registrations and renewals with effect from 1 January, 2004.
David Curtin, IEDR acting chief executive, said: “We are very pleased to be able to reduce prices for our customers and we can do this following much improved trading for the company. The IEDR returned to profitability in 2003 following an aggressive cost reduction programme and the outlook for 2004 looks very positive. We are optimistic that the level of new .ie domain registrations will remain strong, following the 24pc increase in new registrations during 2003.”
Curtin added: “We have also allocated considerable resources to improving the service we provide our ISPs and resellers, which has made registering a .ie domain name easier and quicker. We are continuing to automate the service we provide and expect to implement further improvements in online access during 2004.”
The IEDR has been dogged by controversy for the past three years over how it has been run financially and the way in which domains are awarded in Ireland, culminating in the high profile suspension of its former CEO Mike Fagan in October 2002.
However, a membership survey conducted last summer by the Irish Internet Association (IIA) on the issue of the IEDR showed that there appeared to be a greater focus on customer service, with vastly improved responsiveness, greater transparency and more open communications from the IEDR. At the time, the IIA said that the cost of domain names was the issue that concerned it most but that it had received assurances from the IEDR that prices would come down during 2004.
By Brian Skelly
