Archive for the 'Belgium Domains .BE' Category

600,000 Belgian Websites on The Net

August 19, 2009

According to research conducted for the first time by the .BE Domain Registry, there are currently over 600,000 Belgian websites online.

The Registry scanned all registered .be domain names to see whether or not they have a website linked to them. In total, there are 605,067 Belgian websites on the Net. This means that 7 out of 10 holders of a domain name also make effective use of .be.

43% of all websites consists of just one page, while 27% have more than one page.

14% of domain names direct visitors to another domain name.

Only 16% of domain names have no website, which does not mean they are not being used, because you can also create your own e mail addresses when you have a domain name.

On average, each homepage at a Belgian website features 13 links.

“You can use your own domain name (domain.be) to link a website (www.domain.be) or to create your own e mail addresses (info@domain.be).

The fact that there is also a website linked to 7 out of 10 .be domain names demonstrates that having your own domain name has now gone beyond the gimmick stage and has become an important communication channel for individuals as well as for businesses”, says the Registrys spokesman Hans Seeuws.

“Our more in depth technical research also shows that Belgian webmasters are aware and keep abreast of the most recent technologies and are using them to a large extent.”

.BE Domain Registrations Continue to Grow Strongly in 2008

July 14, 2009

According to the recently released Belgium Domain Registry annual report 2008, .be domain registrations grew by 17% in 2008, bringing the total number of .be domains to almost 860,000 at the end of 2008. At the end of June that figure had risen to 924,470.

Some of the biggest trends noted in 2008 were that .be domains are being registered more frequently for short periods (i.e. for the duration of an event), registrations are seldom limited to just one name, and a website and email address(es) now tend to be linked to the name.

Other highlights from the 2008 annual report include:

  • in 2008 there were 222,915 new registrations, a 15% increase compared with 2007
  • the majority of domain name holders have 2 or more .be domains with each registrant now having an average of almost 7 domains
  • only one quarter of registrants have only one .be domain name
  • there is an email address and website attached to three quarters of all .be domains
  • more short term domain names; the average registration period of .be domains has continued to fall, a trend that began a few years ago

900,000th .BE Domain Activated

April 20, 2009

On April 16, 2009, the registry for .BE domain names announced the 900,000th .BE domain name has been registered.

The 900,000th domain is artchaud.be, and it was reached within ten years of .BE domain names becoming available.

At the turn of the year, there were 860,000 domain names registered, a net growth of more than 16,7%. The 900,000th domain name clearly shows that the financial and economic crisis does not withhold the Belgians from registering their domain names.

From all the holders of a .be website 70% are organizations and individuals effectively situated in Belgium. Meaning that hundreds of thousands of Belgians are clearly familiar with .be domain names.

.BE Domain Registrations Grew 17% in 2008

January 22, 2009

The number of .be domains highly rose the past year. At the end of the year, there were 859,474 domain names registered; this means an increase of 16.7% compared with 2007, when there were 736,498 domains registered.

.be principally remains a business for Belgians: 70% of domain names continue to be registered by Belgians. Regional distribution also remained virtually unchanged in 2008.

Record of new domains

A record number of new .be domains was registered for the sixth year in a row: 222,915, that is 15% more than in 2007, when 193,648 new domains were registered.

Growing interest from individuals

Companies still represent the majority of the registered domain names, but interest from private individuals is growing within the years. In 2008, 242,525 domains were registered for private individuals, that is 28% of the total number and a little more than 2007 (27.4%) and 2006 (26.8%).

This growing interest can be explained by the increase in Internet penetration and the importance of  IT and telecommunications to secondary and higher education. Another factor is the ease and speed with which a .be domain name can be registered, plus that prices are lower than in other European countries.

Syntax Rules for Domain Names Under .BE

January 16, 2009

Domain names must meet with a number of technical requirements:

  • Minimum 2 characters among the letters ‘a to z’, the numbers ’0 to 9′ and the hyphen ‘ ‘;
  • Maximum 63 characters;
  • Must not begin or end with a hyphen;
  • Must not contain a hyphen ‘ ‘ on the 3rd and 4th position unless second character is also a hyphen ‘ ‘.

Register Requirements and Criteria Belgium

January 16, 2009

The Registry will not accept the following domain names for registration:

  • Names that are already registered (“first come, first served” principle) or that are put on hold. A name is put on hold if:
    • the Registry is notified that legal proceedings, whether within or outside the scope of a court of law, are in progress over that name, or
    • the Registry has asked the licensee to replace his registrar in case the registrar’s contract with the Registry is terminated.
  • Names that consist of characters other than “a z”, “A Z”, “0 9″ and ” “, or that start or end with ” “.
  • Names of less than two (2) or more than sixty three (63) characters.
  • Names with “ “ on the third and the fourth position.

Names will be registered for the person whose application is completed first, notwithstanding earlier applications for those names that are not yet complete. An application is complete when it is received by the Registry’s computer system (not when it was sent), and when it contains all the data required.

The refusal to register a domain name does not create any rights (priority rights or other) for the applicant. The applicant may file a new application, in competition with anybody else, if that name later becomes available to the public.

License

  • After the registrar completes the registration process and pays the registration fees, the Registrar grants an exclusive license to the licensee to use the domain name in the application.
  • The license is valid for one year and is renewable as far as the registration fee has been settled.
  • The license for a domain name that is on hold cannot be transferred, with exception for the appointment of a new registrar.
  • The Registry may terminate the license if the licensee breaches any of the terms and conditions of the domain name registration. In case of a breach of the terms and conditions, the Registry can send a reminder by e mail to both the registrar and the licensee informing them that the license will be terminated if the breach is not remedied within 14 days.
  • After termination of the license, the concerned domain name shall be placed in quarantine for forty (40) days. During this period the registrar can restore the domain name to its original status at the request of the licensee provided that a reactivation fee is paid. At the end of this period the concerned domain name can be made available again for registration provided that it has not been reactivated.

Required information:

  • Trading name (where appropriate)
  • Contact person: name + phone no. + address + valid e mail address

FAQ Belgium

January 16, 2009

I want a domain name. What do I do?

You can register domain names and change your domain name information only through an Agent/Registrar.
These accredited Agents/Registrars can automatically register domain names and update domain names that are registered through them.

Why do I need DNS?

Computers work with digits (actually bits and bytes, but these are some kind of numbers). People, on the other hand, tend to remember names and words more easily. DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that translates names into numbers, so both computers and people can get along.

Can I freely choose a name?

You can choose whatever name that is still available. However, there are some technical restrictions:
Only letters (a z), digits (0 9) and hyphens ( ) are allowed. A domain name cannot start or end with a hyphen ” “. Neither allowed are domain names of less than two characters or more than sixty three (63) characters as well as names with ” ” on the third and fourth position.

Is my name still free?

To see if the name you would like to register is still free, you can use the Domain Search feature in our site.

Can I get a list of all domain names?

No, this is against the Belgian privacy legislation and such a list can be abused for spamming.

Can I register my domain name without nameservers for the moment and add them later?

It is possible to register a domain name without nameservers. However, you should be aware that your domain name will not function.

Somebody else registered my name, what can I do?

If it is your company name, a tradename or trademark, and the other company cannot claim any legal rights to the name it registered, you should appeal. This is a fast procedure that typically takes about 50 days between the submission of the complaint and the decision of the mediator. These disputes can be treated by traditional courts as well.

In all other cases (e.g. generic names), nothing can be done since this is a “first come, first served” system.

Can I transfer my domain name to another registrar?

Yes, you can. Just contact the registrar whom you want to transfer your domain name to and he will initiate the transfer. We will send you an e mail where you can confirm or reject. If you reply positively, the transfer becomes effective within the next 24 hours. Please note that we process transfers only on working days.

A transfer implies that your registration period starts again and that your agent will have to pay the fee for a new registration to the Registry.

When will a QUARANTINED domain be released?

Remember: when an agent deletes a domain name it is put “in quarantine”. The domain name is “frozen” for 40 days and no transactions can be carried out, except for these three:

  • a transfer initiated before the delete, if the answer confirming the transfer has been received before the expiration of the transfer (usually 14 days) and before the end of the 40 days quarantine period;
  • a REACTIVATE: transaction that can restore a quarantined domain to the condition it was in before the delete.
  • A transfer initiated during the quarantine period, if the answer confirming the transfer has been received before the end of the 40 days period.

General principle: the automatic release program will only free a domain name if a full 40 days have passed.