NCST to charge fee for new domain names

MUMBAI, APR 20: In a major change of policy, the registrar for India-specfic domain names, National Centre for Software Technology (NCST),...

MUMBAI, APR 20: In a major change of policy, the registrar for India-specfic domain names, National Centre for Software Technology (NCST), has started charging a fee for registering `.in’ domain names. The `.in’ domain name is avaible only for companies and organisations registered in India. The research organisation, which is the sole authority for such registrations, was doing it for free until recently.

Under the new terms, all subscribers will have to a pay Rs 1,500, whether they are government organisations or commercial establishments. The fee will be valid for a two-year period. Renewals will cost Rs 750 and modifications Rs 400. Network Solutions Inc (NSI), the which does over 80 per cent of the `.com’, `.net’, `.org’ registrations, charges $ 70 (around Rs 3,010) for a two-year registration.

Existing customers of NCST will also have to pay up if they wish to hold on to their domain names. Letters have been sent to all the 4000-odd companies and academic institutions registered with the NCST informing them of the decision, confirmed S P Mudur, Associate Director of the organisation. They have been given until July end to pay up, failing which their registration will be cancelled.

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NCST officials said the decision to start charging a fee for the registration services was taken by the Internet Managment Committee set up by the Department of Telecom Services and Ministry of Information Technology. "The government has taken a decision to charge for the service.It is the practice in other countries," said a senior official.

Dotcom registrations from India have exploded ever since the internet sector was opened up. According to figures available with NSI and other registrars, around 90,000 domain names were registered from India in 1999 with the .com, .org and .net extensions. In other words, there were at least 246 domain name registrations per day or 10 every hour.

Indications are this trend will only accelerate in 2000. Mumbai-based Directi Hosting, which started offering `.com’ domain name registrations in February 2000 has already done 2,500 registrations. Although co.in registrations are nowhere near these dizzying levels, they have also shown a steep increase in 1999. According to S Ramani, former director of NCST, the number of India-based companies and portals registrations went up from 400 in 1998 to about 1,600 in 1999.

As awareness about domain names increases, more companies are likely to opt for `.co.in’ registrations. For instance, Investsmart India, which had only registered a investsmart.com, is now in the process of registering even investsmart.co.in to prevent cybersquatters from misusing its name. "People are beginning to realise it is the equivalent of real estate," said Mudur.