.net prices to rise?

[Jimmy Changa]

"The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit organization responsible for Internet addresses, quietly agreed to lift wholesale price restrictions on .net registry fees last month when it renewed a contract with VeriSign to run the master database for .net domain names...."

Read Full Article

 

[hotrod12]

At least they are cheap enough but still they shouldn't be allowed to do this but what can you do.

 

[THCGroup]

IMHO they will start raising prices gradually over the next 10 years or so. Most of the new extensions coming out are usually considerably higher in price and they see there is a prety good demand heating up. Icann Might be non profit, but verisign is out for the money, they're a business, they want profit. Also with the way the name market is getting more mainstream, they can raise prices and the demand will still be there in new registrations and renewals. Just what I think.
Thanks.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

I believe the ruling was to allow them to sell for LESS, not more. This would allow them to sell .net in promotions similar to the .info and .us sales of less than wholesale $6. However, it probably would not preclude price increases in the future.

See this article.

 

[Jimmy Changa]

.nets have sold very well at the current price. There is no reason to believe anyone was thinking about lowering the price...but then again I may be wrong.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Here's the relevant paragraph from the registry agreement:

Section 7.3 Pricing for Domain Name Registrations and Registry Services.
(a) Prices for Registry Services. From 1 July 2005 through 31 December 2006,
the price to ICANN-accredited registrars for new and renewal domain name
registrations and for transferring a domain name registration from one ICANN-accredited
registrar to another, shall not exceed US$4.25 (consisting of a
US$3.50 service fee and a US$0.75 ICANN fee). On 1 January 2007, the
controls on Registry Operator’s pricing set forth in this Agreement shall be
eliminated, provided that the same price shall be charged to all registrars with
respect to each annual increment of a new or renewal domain name registration,
and for transferring a domain name registration from one ICANN-accredited
registrar to another (provided that volume discounts and marketing support and
incentive programs may be made if the same opportunities to qualify for those
discounts and marketing support and incentive programs is available to all
ICANN-accredited registrars).
(b) Adjustments to Pricing for Domain Name Registrations. Registry Operator
shall provide no less than six months prior notice in advance of any price
increase for domain name registrations and shall continue to offer domain name
registrations for periods of up to ten years.

Full agreeement here:

I think another partial reason was to lower the price Verisign makes to avoid price hikes for the ICANN fee increase. therefore, in effect building the ICANN fee into the end user and price without increasing it.

The new .net contract also requires the .net registry to implement the EPP policies (auth codes) like most other TLD's have implemented. I don't know how soon though.