メニュー

Press Release: 2005

Press Release

January 19, 2005
Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd.(JPRS)

JPRS applied for candidacy in the next registry operator for ".NET" jointly with NeuLevel - Aiming to further its contribution to the community by participating in the management and operation of the world's 2nd largest gTLD -

Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd. (JPRS: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President Koki Higashida), the company responsible for management and administration of .JP top-level domain and overall management and operation of the JP domain name system (JP DNS), today announced that it had established a joint venture called Sentan Registry Services Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, registered in Delaware state, USA) with NeuLevel, and this joint venture had submitted an application to ICANN to become the next registry operator of ".NET" on January 18, 2005. The next registry will be determined at the end of March. If the company is selected, it will start operation as a new registry of ".NET" beginning July 1, 2005.

The ".NET" global top-level domain (gTLD) has been in use internationally since the initial stages of the Internet, and the present number of registrations is approximately 5 million, making .NET the second largest gTLD in the world following ".COM". Among all the .NET host computers, 20% are located in Japan (60% are in the USA) making .NET one of the most frequently used domain names in Japan along with .JP.

Currently, .NET registry is operated by VeriSign under an agreement with ICANN, but it will terminate at the end of June 2005. Thus, public participation has been invited before determining the next registry,and several companies have announced their intentions to submit the proposals.

JPRS has been managing and operating JP domain names. While operating, it signed a sponsorship agreement with ICANN in February, 2002 and completed transfer of operation from JPNIC in April, 2002. JPRS has taken a leading role among domain name registries in the world through a ccTLD operation model that attaches importance to coordination with the community, development and introduction of new technologies. In fact, JPRS was the world's first registry to implement support for IPv6 and is viewed as a leader in the development and support for internationalized domain names (IDN), including Japanese JP domain names.As a result of these efforts, the number of registered JP domain names reached approximately 650,000 in January, 2005, from a base of 230,000 in December, 2000, when JPRS was established.

JPRS intends to use the experience it gains from both the operation of JP domain names and from participating in a gTLD like ".NET", which are also used widely in Japan, to contribute to the development of the Internet in Japan as well as in the world. JPRS, therefore, came together with NeuLevel to establish Sentan Registry Services, Inc. and submitted the proposal.

Furthermore, JP users will benefit from the experience and new technologies JPRS will be involved in as a result of its participation in the solution development for .NET as well the ongoing operation.

NeuLevel operates the ".BIZ" registry and is a subsidiary of NeuStar,Inc. USA, which operates the ".US" registry, and shares JPRS' philosophy of responsibly managing public resources and technological leadership. From this point of view, they would seem to be an ideal partner from which a great synergistic effect with JPRS can be expected.

With regards to this joint submission of the proposal to become the next operator of the .NET registry, Jeff Ganek, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NeuLevel, Inc. said "JPRS shares our commitment to provide highly reliable, secure and stable registry services through technical innovation and responsible participation in the Internet community."

JPRS will continue to make every effort to improve the user friendliness and value of the domain name environment as a registry of JP domain names based on the aspect of public benefit in order to respond more broadly to the needs of the Internet community and society.


About JPRS
JPRS was incorporated on December 26, 2000 to carry out responsibility of the management and administration of the .JP top-level domain and to operate the domain name system. As a company dedicated to maintaining the Internet infrastructure, Japan Registry Services (JPRS) contributes to the development of the Internet and the building of a better future for everyone.

About Neulevel
NeuLevel is a joint venture between NeuStarR, a leading provider of trusted information exchange services for the communications industry, and Melbourne ITR, a leading international domain name registrar. NeuLevel is the exclusive registry operator of the .BIZ Registry, the world's first top-level domain dedicated exclusively to business. Its parent company, NeuStar operates the .US Registry - America's Internet AddressR.


Reference

For inquiries, contact:

JPRS/President's Office Public Relations
E-mail: press@jprs.co.jp
URL: http://jprs.co.jp/en/

PAGE TOP