The total number of registered Internet addresses reached a new summit of 63 million after a record
increase of 4.7 million in the first quarter, the main Internet registrar said.
VeriSign, which owns the domain registrar Network Solutions, said the surge in registrations reflects
interest in the newer extensions like dot-biz, dot-info and dot-museum. The overall number of 63 million
is roughly one for every 100 people living in the world today.
"This number is greater than at any time in the Internet's history, surpassing even the heights that
were seen during the Internet 'bubble,' " VeriSign said.
"Moreover, data reveal that the current base of domain names is being utilized more actively than ever
before, as measured by renewal rates, look-up rates, and the percentage of domain names tied to live sites."
The spike in demand is at least partly driven by the recent availability of Arabic, Chinese and Russian
characters within domain names, VeriSign officials said. More than 72 percent of the domain names are
part of a live website, up from 55 percent at the height of the boom in December 2002, the firm said.
This indicates "that the speculative purchase of domain names that fueled much of the growth in the late
'90s has been replaced by real websites and email boxes, to which real people are connecting."
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