[AfrICANN-discuss] September Domain Brief: VeriSign Domain Report Shows Internet Growth Remains Strong

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

http://www.verisign.com/Resources/Naming_Services_Resources/Domain_Name_Industry_Brief/

Article: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0430496.htm
VeriSign Domain Report Shows Internet Growth Remains Strong

Registrations for Top Level Domains Up 22 Percent From Last Year
September 04, 2008: 09:30 AM EST

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet
infrastructure services for the networked world, today released the
Domain Report for the second quarter of 2008, highlighting the
continued growth of the Internet globally. At the midpoint of 2008,
there were 168 million domain name registrations across all of the Top
Level Domain Names (TLDs). This represents a four percent increase
over the first quarter of 2008 and 22 percent growth over the same
quarter last year.

The base of Country Code Top Level Domain Names (ccTLDs) totaled 65
million domain names, a four percent increase quarter over quarter and
a 27 percent increase year over year.

The composition of the domain name industry and rank order in terms of
base size remained relatively constant with the largest TLDs remaining
in the same rank order. The largest TLDs in terms of base size were
.com, .de, .cn, .net, .uk, .org, .info, .nl (The Netherlands), .eu
(European Union), and .biz.

VeriSign processed peak loads of more than 48 billion Domain Name
System (DNS) queries per day in the second quarter of 2008, resulting
in millions of Internet users accessing Web sites or sending email.
The VeriSign DNS continued to maintain 100 percent uptime during the
second quarter of 2008, as it has for the past decade.

"Securing and protecting the integrity of DNS is critical to the
stability of the global Internet, and VeriSign is continuing to make
investments that improve the scalability and fortification of this
critical infrastructure," said Raynor Dahlquist, senior vice president
of Naming Services, VeriSign. "VeriSign's unique capability to operate
global networks of this nature at this scale and reliability remains
unparalleled."

As the global registry operator for .com and .net, VeriSign reviews
the state of the domain name industry through a variety of statistical
and analytical research. As a leading provider of digital
infrastructure for the Internet, VeriSign provides this briefing to
highlight important trends in domain name registration, including key
performance indicators, and growth opportunities.

The Domain Name Brief also highlights the impressive growth for domain
name registrations internationally, with a special focus on Latin
America. The growth in .com and .net domain name registrations in
Latin America for the quarter was 31 percent growth, outpacing
worldwide growth by 11 percentage points. This growth is reflective of
strong Internet indicators related to access, connectivity and usage.

The complete contents of the Q2 VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief is
available at www.verisign.com/domainbrief

About VeriSign

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet
infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times
each day, VeriSign helps companies and consumers all over the world
engage in communications and commerce with confidence. Additional news
and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and
information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among
others, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and
potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such
factors as the inability of VeriSign to successfully develop and
market new products and services and customer acceptance of any new
products or services, including VeriSign Domain Name Services and
other infrastructure offerings; the possibility that VeriSign's
announced new services may not result in additional customers, profits
or revenues; and increased competition and pricing pressures. More
information about potential factors that could affect the company's
business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to
update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this
press release.

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