Afilias Backgrounder

Afilias is a global leader in advanced back-end domain name registry services and provides a wide range of advanced capabilities essential to the smooth and efficient operation of any Internet domain name registry.

Afilias launched its registry service in July 2001 with its inaugural product, .INFO- the most successful of the seven new top-level domains (TLDs) selected by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Today, Afilias currently provides registry services for .INFO, .ORG and several country code TLDs (ccTLDs), together supporting over 6 million domain names.

Global Registry Services
Afilias provides a complete, world-class registry solution for any size top-level domain in any part of the world. This solution combines Afilias' industry experience with best of breed technology partners to deliver a complete, integrated registry service that manages names "from registration to resolution." This includes data center and systems support by IBM, as well as managed DNS services by UltraDNS, whose worldwide network of DNS servers provide the fastest domain resolution of its scale in the world.

Afilias' registry solutions are flexible, fast and proven:

Complete & Flexible: Afilias' registry services are customizable and scalable. Afilias has a track record for developing and implementing policies that serve many needs. These range from the innovative Sunrise program that protected Intellectual Property interests during the .INFO launch, to our ccTLD support, which reflects the policy considerations of several different countries. Afilias' services can scale to any size domain -- from a ccTLD supporting a few thousand names to a generic TLD (gTLD) supporting millions.

Fast, Reliable, & Secure: Afilias-supported names are some of the fastest working on the Internet today - resolving worldwide within 2 minutes of registration. Afilias' technology combines state-of-the-art data escrow, back-up and security systems with world-class providers such as IBM and UltraDNS to deliver reliable, secure service.

Proven: Afilias is a pioneer in the development of next-generation registry technology. It was the first to launch a "thick" gTLD registry based on the new Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP). For .INFO, Afilias successfully grew the domain from zero to over 3.5 million names. For .ORG, Afilias supported both the transition from VeriSign and the ongoing technical management of the domain since its redelegation to PIR in January 2003.

Products
.INFO: .INFO was the first new and completely unrestricted gTLD launched since .COM. .INFO is also the first truly global domain suffix. With an informational and educational feel, .INFO is the most intuitive place for Internet users to seek information. Over two thirds of .INFO Web sites are active, including over 700,000 live, unique sites. .INFO is also a popular alternative for international audiences: over 50% of .INFO's registrations are from Europe, with Germany alone accounting for more than 20% of global registrations. This is a sharp contrast to .COM, where over 69% of registrations are from US companies.

.ORG (gTLD): Afilias provides core back-end registry services for .ORG under contract to the Public Interest Registry (PIR); .ORG is the world's sixth largest top-level domain with over 3.3 million domain names. Afilias successfully implemented the largest transition of an Internet domain name registry in history when it completed the cutover of registry services for the .ORG registry from VeriSign to its system, on behalf of PIR, in January 2003.

ccTLDs: Afilias provides core back-end registry services for several ccTLDs, including AG (Antigua and Barbuda), GI (Gibraltar), HN (Honduras), IN (India), LA (Laos), SC (the Seychelles), and VC (St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Afilias also provides ancillary support to other domains, including SG (Singapore) and BZ (Belize).

Organizational Structure and Background
Afilias Limited is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with U.S. offices near Philadelphia, PA, sales offices in London, UK and Düsseldorf, Germany, an operations center in Toronto Canada, and operational offices in New Delhi, India.

Afilias was formed in September of 2000 by a group of industry leading domain name registrars in recognition of the need for increased competition in the domain name industry at the registry level. Afilias was selected by ICANN in November of 2000 to launch .INFO, the first new gTLD domain supported by EPP and based on a "thick" registry model. INFO remains the most successful new gTLD launched since .COM.