At the start of 2008 there are 360,000 domain names registered in the .no database. This is an increase of 60,000 during the last year. No matter where we turn in the public sphere we come upon Internet addresses: in the media, in commercials and all types of services, public as well as private. This infrastructure becomes more and more critical for all parts of society.
The demands put upon Norid and the systems and routines which make sure that the Norwegian Internet works in a robust and secure way are getting increasingly higher. Norid's goal is to be ahead both technically and on the administrative side. In 2008 we have among other things two big projects which should be completed: We are going to launch a completely new registry system which is under development, and improve our call center to make it better equipped to handle inquiries. A third big task will be to consider how private persons should get access to registration of Norwegian domain names in the future.
New registry system
We have worked with the development of the new registry system, which has been named Draupne, for a while now. The purpose is to meet a continously strong growth in the number of domain names, and thus an increasing number of applications going through the system. In addition to this we want more automatization, shorter processing times and a larger degree of self-service for the registrars. For the holders the new system will offer better security for the domains, for instance password protection against transfers.
These kind of systems cannot be bought off the shelf, and the development demands alot of resources from all parts of Norid. Norid's own technicians do most of the programming. The same technicians are responsible for keeping today's system running faultlessly until the conversion to the new system which is planned in the second quarter. We are not counting on there being much room for other technical assistance during the first months of this year, to put it that way :-)
Improved call center
The registrars are the primary point of contact for those who want a domain name, or need to update an existing registration. Even so, many inquiries are still directed to us, among others from the registrars themselves. We expect an increase of inquiries both from private persons and others in the future, and therefore want to improve our call center to make sure that all user groups get as professional and quick help as possible.
At the start of 2008 we are in the middle of a tender competition to find the best supplier of a call center for Norid. This process is also planned to be completed during the first months of the year.
Domain names for private persons
During 2008 we will look into how private persons can register a Norwegian domain name in the future. Up until now it has been possible for private persons to register domain names under the category domain priv.no. Norid took over the management of these domains at the turn of the year, but will not open for new registrations while the question about private persons is being looked into. There are complex problems to be addressed, and it is unlikely that new regulations for private persons will be ready before the end of 2008. When the process has come a little further we will open up for one or more public hearings about important questions in order to get views from all interest groups.
We are entering an exciting year with many big tasks which we hope and believe will result in even better services for our users. We wish .no holders, registars and all others a promising new year.
Hilde M. Thunem
Managing director