This news will delight many who have experienced problems with NSI (Network Solutions) and do not care for their prominence in the field of domain registrations. Many of us recommend 000domains.com and other Open SRS RSPs, and it is having an effect, coupled of course, with the superior Domain Manager system they use that is emulated by others.

For those who don't know, Verisign, owns NSI as TUCOWS owns Open SRS

TUCOWS MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE AHEAD OF VERISIGN IN NEW NET REGISTRATIONS ICANN REPORTS
-Wholesale Domain Name Registrar Beats Out Former Monopoly In Q4 2000 To Take The Overall Lead In New .com, .net and .org Registrations -

Melbourne - March 10, 2001 Tucows Inc.,, a leading distributor of ebusiness services and applications on the Internet, added more net registrations in .com, .net and .org domain names in the fourth quarter of 2000 than any other registrar, including the former monopoly owned by VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN), according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

In a report posted on its website, ICANN data showed that Tucows had been responsible for 15.97% of the new registrations, followed by Register.com with 15.26% and VeriSign which ranked third with 14.26%. The public release of this data marks the first time that VeriSign has slipped from the first spot and signifies an overall shift in the marketplace.

"Tucows has been successful, in large measure, due to our unique wholesale registration strategy," said Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows. "We have built a global network of over 5,000 channel partners that can deliver services and applications to Internet users faster and more efficiently than ever before." Noss is in Melbourne for the ICANN conference.

The recent news from ICANN is the latest in a string of successes for Tucows, which has been an innovator since its launch in 1994. Tucows has registered nearly 3 million domain name years since January 2000 when it first launched its OpenSRS wholesale registration service, making it the fastest growing domain name registrar in the industry.

In addition to .com, .net and .org, Tucows offers .ca, .co.uk and org.uk domain extensions and has been awarded the registry for the .vc country code. Moreover, Tucows will provide the backbone for the new .info generic Top Level Domain extension that is expected to launch later this year.

The full article is at
http://about.tucows.com/press/2001/03102001.html

Overall, NSI has 52% of the registrations, meaning they have lost almost half of them to other registrars. The next one has 12% overall. I don't know if it is TUCOWS or not, though I suspect it is. Their lead is likely to grow as NSI's diminishes.

That's excellent news.... NSI sucks....

Awesome! :)

I registered my domain at http://www.easyhosting.com, and they use OpenSRS. I love the ability to change your own nameservers and domain info without having to contact NSI.

Break out the Champaign!

:sickface:NSI

Originally posted by Duster
TUCOWS MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE AHEAD OF VERISIGN IN NEW NET REGISTRATIONS ICANN REPORTS



That is, indeed, very good news. I have always had a problem with NSI. I am currently using register.com for my few domain names. They allow me to set the NS, A, CNAME and MX records of my domains through their account management screens, so I don't have to run my own name server or even use the one of my hoster. It was good to see register.com in the top 3.

I do like the OpenSRS pricing structure, though. I wish them success!

The fight isn't over guys, so let's keep it rolling....

Hello

Her is some related news:

Tucows have just written to ICANN to complain about Register.com trying to block transfers to OpenSRS by forcing registrants to agree to them allowing th transfer as well as giving permission to the new registrar.

Gordon

Originally posted by GordonH
Hello

Her is some related news:

Tucows have just written to ICANN to complain about Register.com trying to block transfers to OpenSRS by forcing registrants to agree to them allowing th transfer as well as giving permission to the new registrar.


It certainly looks like OpenSRS is whacking the beehive.

That is A Good Thing. :)

If the other Registrars cant handle the heat from the competition, stay out of the fire.. Thats good news!!

This is the kind of topic that I like to see!

Network Solutions has basically dug their own grave. Who in their right mind wants to pay $35 for a domain name? :D

I'm glad to see OpenSRS taking the lead. NetSol could easily be the dominant force in the market and remain the strong leader forever if they would simply listen to the people. If you ask anyone who has dealt with NetSol about their customer service, you'll probably get a derogatory answer. Also, the pricing is still a little too high.

Go OpenSRS!

Originally posted by GordonH
Hello

Here is some related news:

Tucows has just written to ICANN to complain about Register.com trying to block transfers to OpenSRS by forcing registrants to agree to them allowing the transfer as well as giving permission to the new registrar.

Gordon

Thanks for that tidbit, Gordon. It's bad enough that some registrars (including NSI) won't release expired domain names and act as if they had a right to them, even charging a premium for more desirable names. We certainly don't need registrars who can hold us hostage by not letting us transfer to better registrars.

Having read the registrar agreement, I believe register.com is in violation of it. At the very least, they should go on the list of registrars to avoid, along with NSI, alldns.com and others.

Originally posted by GordonH
Hello

Her is some related news:

Tucows have just written to ICANN to complain about Register.com trying to block transfers to OpenSRS by forcing registrants to agree to them allowing th transfer as well as giving permission to the new registrar.

Gordon

Can someone explain what this means? How are they blocking the transfer by "agree to them allowing the trasnfer"?? :confused:

Originally posted by schweiz


Can someone explain what this means? How are they blocking the transfer by "agree to them allowing the transfer"?? :confused:
Sure, in simple English, if you register with Register.com or transfer domains to them you are agreeing to let them hold your domain name hostage and retain control of it.

Of course, their wording is a bit different although that is clearly the intent. Here's what it says in their TOS:
(bold emphasis is mine)

2. Initiation of Transfer

Only the authoritative holder of the domain name registration may initiate a request to transfer that domain name registration from another Registrar to register.com. You hereby represent that you have the full and complete authority as the holder of the domain name registration to initiate this transfer. Register.com, at its sole discretion, may require you to provide documentation that proves that you are the authoritative domain name holder and that you have initiated this transfer request.

The request to transfer a domain name registration from one Registrar to another may be denied (a) during the first 60 days after initial registration of the domain name with the original Registrar, (b) in accordance with circumstances described in the Domain Name Dispute Policy, (c) if there is a pending bankruptcy of the domain name holder, (d) if there is a dispute over the identity of the domain name holder, (e) by operation of law or (f) at the discretion of the then current Registrar.

The then current registrar is them, naturally, and this is the addendum to the registrar licensing agreement regarding transfers that effectively negates part of that agreement.

If they want that kind of control, do you think they will let you transfer to another registrar? Of course not!

That makes Register.com a registrar to be avoided at all costs. Anyone not ignorant of their terms has no excuse to even consider them save having had a frontal lobotomy, being a masochist, or having Alzheimer's disease. I was going to include crazy people but I know some who might say, "I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy!"

Ah.. thanks, Duster, I got it now :)

Then again, I've managed to transfer my domains away from register.com without much of a hassle.. so I dont think they are that bad after all... only too expensive :D

I for one am glad to hear OpenSRS is doing so well. We have used them for quite a while now, and I tell all our customers about them.

They have always been good in my book.

Tim L

How come a crap registrar like NSI still has 52 percent of the market? :D

You need to look at it in the proper perspective to undesrstand why NSI has 52% of the market. They started at 100% a year and a quarter ago. In that year+, they have lost almost a half of their market share.

How much more do you think they'll lose by the end of this year?

We can all help by making a greater effort to get our customers to switch to other regsitrars, particularly Open SRS, with their present registrations instead of renewing them every year. They may feel they have little need to change as they have their domains already and may have not problems. However, the best time to solve a problem is before it comes up. We know how difficult it can be to make changes for some people, especially when they lose access to the contact e-mail address on record.

I notified all of mine in the past about 000domains.com and the advantages in moving. I will be making a renewed effort now.

I got e-mailed tonight by one of my clients advising he got a message about one of his domains expiring next month and did he need to renew with them (it wasn't even from NSI, where his domain is registered). Of course, I told him now is the time to move all his domains to 000domains,com., along with some new ones he should register (variations of one of them).

His time is limited and he wants me to take care of it for him., paying me foir my time. No problem there, that's what I do. Most of my clients know little about the Internet and I'm a full service host.

The e-mail address on record at NSI is not valid so he doesn't get spammed. WhenI began hosting his domain, I switched him over to password authentication. I submitted a change in the record to a valid address so the registrar transfer form could be received and sent back, indicating approval of the transfer.

A couple of notices later, I get one saying they can't complete the change and he will need to fax them giving permission for the change to be made.

It makes you wonder what the purpose of having a password is. It doesn't seem to do much good.

This week I'm making a renewed effort to get my clients to transfer to 000domains and away from NSI. Those guys should be selling used cars or being petty bureaucrats elsewhere (they've certainly mastered the principle of red tape).