IEDR (the IE Domain Registry) announced that registrations for .IE ( Ireland's top level domain ) exceeded 10,000 ina three month period for the first time .
More than 10,000 .IE domain names were registered in the first quarter of 2011 ,which represents a 5.5 percent increase quarter-on-quarter and an 18.5 percent increase on registrations in the last quarter of 2010 .
There are now 160,000 .IE domain names .
“It’s encouraging to see that the first quarter of 2011 has shown strong growth in .ie domain registrations. A lot of work has been done by the IEDR in investing in the right technology to maintain the safety, security and resilience of the .ie domain infrastructure, while the ongoing efforts of our registrars have contributed significantly to the promotion of .ie. The .ie namespace provides an established, trusted domain name through which start-ups and entrepreneurs can bring their goods and services to market and win consumer confidence. The IEDR is committed to maintaining the integrity, affordability and resilience of this vital platform for Irish e-commerce," said Mr. David Curtin, Chief Executive of the IE Domain Registry .
“When the IEDR studied the extent of Irish business’ presence online we were surprised to learn that only two thirds of Irish businesses have a web presence and just 21 per cent of these had any kind of e-commerce functionality. This means that there are considerable online sales opportunities that Irish businesses are missing out on. As businesses continue to struggle with challenging trading conditions I would encourage them to investigate the benefits of marketing and selling online. A fully transactional website can be put in place for a fraction of the cost of the annual rent of a high street retail unit - yet a website shop front can be seen by potential customers anywhere in the world," he added .
Follow these links for more information about .ie domain registration or to register .ie domains.