Canada kicks off Countdown to One Million Internet Domain Names

March 20, 2008; 04:05 AM

OTTAWA, March 19 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) today launches its campaign to celebrate the registration of one million dot-ca domain names with the unveiling of a campaign website at www.onemilliondomains.ca. CIRA expects to reach the one million milestone in early April 2008 after passing 750,000 registrations just 18 months prior in October 2006. The campaign showcases the growth of dot-ca domain names, dot-ca websites and the Canadians behind them.

Dot-ca has experienced rapid growth in recent years and now stands as the seventeenth largest Internet domain name registry when compared to generic domain names like dot-com and dot-net and country specific domain names like dot-uk (United Kingdom) and dot-us (United States). This growth is all the more remarkable considering that dot-ca domains are reserved exclusively for the use of Canadian citizens, residents, businesses, and organizations.

"When you visit a dot-ca website you can be confident that you're dealing with another Canadian or Canadian business," says Byron Holland, President and CEO of CIRA, the organization responsible for managing dot-ca domain name registrations. "The rapid growth of dot-ca reflects how website owners and Internet users place a premium on relevant and trusted destinations online - for Canadians, dot-ca is the obvious choice."

To help celebrate the unique Canadian personality of dot-ca, CIRA commenced the campaign in January 2008 with its Tell us Your Dot-ca Story contest which asked entrants to describe how they use their dot-ca domain name. More than 4,000 entries were submitted by dot-ca domain name Registrants from across Canada. "We were overwhelmed with the response we received and the huge number of dot-ca success stories submitted by Canadians," says David Hicks, Director of Marketing and Communications for CIRA. "These stories highlight how Canadians are using dot-ca domain names to connect and communicate with each other and the world."

Source: www.newswire.ca