The dot asia landrush has opened and a huge number of domains have already gone. All the big companies (like Accenture and Telstra) have secured their trademark domains and most of the generics (travel.asia, hotels.asia) are gone - Here’s the complete list of domains applied for so far (updated at registry.asia 8 / feb / 08 )
Total of 266,663 Applications Received on First Day of Landrush
Hong Kong, 21 February 2008 – DotAsia Organisation, the registry operator of the “.Asia” Internet domain, is happy to announce the successful launch of its Landrush period. A total of 266,663 applications were received by the registry within the first 24 hours, demonstrating great interest from around the world to stake claims in the most prestigious cyber real estate in Asia. Including Pre-Sunrise, Sunrise, Pioneer programs and the first day of Landrush, the total number of domain applications to date is 298,861. .Asia Landrush opened Feb 20 and will close on March 12, 2008.
Unlike conventional first-come-first-served processes, DotAsia is utilizing a model that treats all applications received equally no matter if you submit the application within the first second or on the last day of the Landrush period. For domains receiving two or more applications, an auction will be held between the applicants. Domains with only one application will be allocated directly without auction. It also means you must apply during the Landrush period (Feb 20 – Mar 12, 2008) in order to be eligible to participate in the domain auctions.
“We are very excited about the smooth launch of Landrush. The volume of interest demonstrates strong demand for .Asia. Unlike conventional opening rushes where the best names are snatched in the opening seconds, you still have 20 days to submit your application without losing out,” says Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia. “We are also excited to see strong participation from Asia, with 5 out of the top 10 registrars coming from Asia.”
Over 35% of the Landrush applications received came from Asia, with 40% from North America and 24% coming from Europe. A total of about 28,000 domain names received more than one application on the first day. The top 10 registrars in the first day, in order, are: Dotalliance Inc. (www.dotalliance.asia), EuroDNS S.A. (www.asiadns.asia), Communigal Communications Ltd., GoDaddy.com, Gabia, HiChina Web Solutions Ltd., Key-Systems (www.domaindiscount24.asia), NamesBeyond.com, DomainPeople Inc. (www.domainpeople.asia), eName Corp..
The COO of NetNames, Jonathan Robinson, makes a good point that there isn’t as much interest in .asia as there were in .eu
“Only 30,780 applications have been filed for .asia domain names so far compared with 330,000 at the same point in the launch of the .eu domain name,”
Given that .eu is a flop, I’m going to tread .asia very carefully. I hate the uncertainly of auctions anyway so I’m going to wait til the end of March for when the official free for all opening starts and I’ll see what names are left over then. Given that there are still some ripper dot coms available, I’m sure there will still be lots of niche’s untouched come 28th March.
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