Greatest demand for 123.no

(Trondheim, June 18th 2007): Last Wednesday a scheme for domain names consisting of digits only, for instance 4711.no, was introduced. Today the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority carried out a draw to determine the sequence in which applications for the same name will be processed. As from tomorrow numerical domain names will be part of the ordinary services at Norid.

When the application system was closed down on Friday morning, 5664 valid applications for numerical domain names had been accepted during the transition period. After cleaning up to assure that each organization only participated with one application for each name, 5555 application went into the draw to determine the sequence in which applications for the same name were to be processed.

Top ten

The names below were most frequently applied for:

It was applied for 976 unique domains, 612 domains had one applicant only.

The applications from the draw are processed continously. As from 10 a.m. tomorrow all types of applications are accepted. The processing then follows the first come first served scheme.

The longest in Norway

The longest numerical domain name which is registered consists of 63 characters, which corresponds to the first 63 desimals in the mathematical constant pi.

No right of priority

Except from telephone numbers which are used as national emergency numbers, such as 113.no, no one had a right of priority to numerical domain names, just like no one has such rights to other domain names either.

Possible conflicts

As with other domain names, the applicant for a numerical domain has the responsibility to make sure that the name doesn't violate Norwegian law or the rights of third parties.

- Some applications may arise conflicts concerning the rights of a third party, but our impression is that this affects very few domains, says Hilde Thunem, Managing Director of Norid.

Complaints on violation of rights can be brought before the alternative resolution body as usual. For complaints given in and accepted by the body within two months after the introduction of the new regulations, the handling fee will be refunded.

- From the Post and Telecommunications Authority's view we are pleased that the application process as well as the draw were carried out without any problems, says Ørnulf Storm, Department Manager in NPT.

Why numerical domain names?

Domain names are more and more associated with company names and brands. Some companies have names or products consisting of digits only. So far they have been forced to select a domain combining letters and digits; now they will get the opportunity to register a domain in accordance with the name of the company or a product.

The main reason that numerical domain names have been forbidden, has been the risk of technical confusion connected to the use of digits only. However, an analysis shows that this is now longer a risk.

More information:
www.norid.no/regelverk/forslag/nummer-2006/ (in Norwegian only)

Contact persons:

Hilde M. Thunem, Managing Director, hilde.thunem@uninett.no, telephone 414 49 885
Elisabeth Farstad, Senior Adviser, elisabeth.farstad@uninett.no, telephone 971 29 423

About Norid:

Norid is the .no registry, which means that all domains directly within .no must be registered with Norid. In addition to processing applications and developing the domain name policy, Norid is responsible for the technical operation of the name service, allowing the Norwegian Internet to be globally accessible at all times. According to its role as a neutral actor, Norid also handles other national tasks which have a natural relation to the core activities.

The registry follows a principle of only handling essential core tasks inhouse, while other tasks are outsourced to companies who offer registrar services in agreement with Norid. The activites are strongly internationally orientated with a wide range of contacts in technical as well as domain administrative environments in other countries.

Norid is also responsible for the top level domains .bv (Bouvet Island) and .sj (Svalbard and Jan Mayen). The current domain name policy do not, however, allow registration within these domains.

The service is regulated by the Domain Name Regulations and is supervised by the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority. Norid is not a public administrative agency, and the allocation of domain names is based on private law rules. The company is run non-profit. Norid is part of UNINETT and is located in Trondheim with the rest of the Group.

About NPT:

NPT is an autonomous administrative agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, with monitoring and regulatory responsibilities for the postal and telecommunications markets in Norway. The NPT is self-financed, primarily through fees and charges. NPT supervises the Norwegian national top-level domains in accordance with the Domain Regulation.