UK Registry Opens Consultation on Registration Periods

Nominet, the registry for the .uk namespace, has opened a consultation on domain name registration periods.

At present *.uk domain names can only be registered and renewed for a period of 2 years. You cannot register a .co.uk domain name for more than 2 years (or for less than 2 years – even though some companies sell them yearly!)

Nominet has agreed to consider how variable registration periods may be introduced within the .uk space.  We outline a potential methodology for the implementation of variable registration periods for domain names, with a view to gaining stakeholder feedback.

Offering .uk registrations for registration periods other than 2 years creates more choice for registrants and enables them to apply different strategies to management of their domain names, such as securing their domains for longer periods.

However, we are mindful that the introduction of variable registration periods requires careful consideration of the potential impact on levels of registrations, renewal rates, data quality, business planning and customer service.  It should also be consistent with our requirement to act in the public interest.  

We would welcome thoughts from registrars and wider stakeholders.

You can find more information on the Nominet site which also includes an online survey.

Personally I’d love to see co.uk domains available for up to 10 years – it would help me sleep better at night!

Related articles

• Nominet Rolls Out DNSSEC for 9.4 Million .UK Domains (circleid.com)
• Some Considerations For New TLD Operators From A Registrar Perspective (internetnews.me)