DNS, the official management body for .be domain names has announced that for the sixth year in a row, a record number of new .be domain names were registered in 2009, with 232 746. That was 4.4% more than in 2008, when 222 919 new domain names were registered.
232 746 new names means yet another new record compared with 2008 when there were 222 919 new names. "The Belgian population is perfectly aware of the value and the importance of a .be domain name; the record growth achieved in times of economic crisis is the best proof of it. We have not only all .be domain name holders to thank for their confidence in DNS BE, but also and in the first place, our network of over 450 registrars," stated DNS BE general manager, Jo Van Gorp. "It's thanks to their efforts, day after day, that we've achieved these excellent results."
The meter recording the number of .be domain names reached 977 998 at the end of December. That is an increase of 118 524 compared with the year before. This number represents net growth of 13.8%. In 2008, the figure was 16.7%. This decline is a logical evolution for the net growth: the more the total number of domain names rises, the smaller the net growth in percentage terms.
One striking change in the pattern of registrations is that increasing numbers of Belgians are registering .be domain names for themselves as private individuals. In 2008, the percentage was only 30%, whereas last year that figure rose to 34% of the total number of Belgian domain names.
"We are delighted with the way this trend is developing," said Mr Van Gorp. "The way we see it, there are significant benefits associated with having your own domain name. Because users create their own e-mail addresses, they can easily switch from one Internet provider to another without having to miss out on a single e-mail. It also means that when they make a change, there's no need to notify all of their contacts of their new e-mail address, because it stays the same, regardless of the provider."