Dot HK domain names spike in popularity

March 1st, 2003
By Sheila Lam

Despite the popping of the Internet bubble, new registrations of ".hk" domain names continue to grow, according to the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC).

The period from April to December 2002 saw was a net growth of 4,000 new registered ".hk" domain names, said the HKIRC's acting CEO Jonathan Shea. The growth brought the total number of ".hk" domain names to 63,000, which accounts for about 33 percent of all Hong Kong-registered domain names.

"Since less domain names are available under '.com', more are turning to the regional domain names," said Shea. "There is a trend of increasing registration of regional domain names."

He asserted that among all registered ".hk" domain names, some are inactive or being used as a forwarding web address, but added that HKIRC does not keep track of the activities of these domain names. Yet Shea noted that less than 5 percent of registered ".hk" domain names are not registered under the global domain name server.

"Since holders registered at the global domain name server are required to pay a fee to the web hosting companies, we expect they are active users of such domain names," he said.

To foster the use of Hong Kong's regional domain names and expand HKIRC's service offering, Shea said the company has recently introduced a new membership scheme. All ".hk" domain name holders registered since June 2001 and before January 31, 2003 can be enrolled as members.

He added that members are eligible to vote for the new HKIRC board, which will be divided into six different classes, users, service provider, industry, commerce and industry, government and tertiary institutions.

"The membership scheme should provide a feedback loop for the domain name holders," said Shea. "We can then expand our service offerings in the future."

Looking forward, HKIRC plans to expand its domain names offering in 2003. He said new offerings include a second level ".hk" domain name, which does not categorize the holder's entity. For example, holders can register for "mycomputer.hk", instead of "mycomputer.org.hk".

Individual names will also be introduced. The "idv.hk" will allow valid Hong Kong identity card holders to register for their personal domain name. "This new category will be designated for Hong Kong residents," said Shea. "It will enable individual Internet users to establish their own domain identity on the Internet."