.SO is coming. SO, here’s an interview with the gentlemen behind the new .so registry
It’s always a good thing when a company gets the right to market a ccTLD globally. It’s good for the industry and good for the country that grants the contract.
Recently GMO Registry has been appointed by The Transitional Federal Government of The Somali Republic to market .so, the country code for Somalia.. [The domain Somalia.com is for sale for anyone that is interested]
Over the weekend I asked Hiro Tsukahara some questions about the new extension and he was kind enough to answer. I hit him hard in the beginning but I think I asked the questions we’d all be curious about.
Overall, I like .so. While it may not have what it takes to become one of the big extensions, it has its place and I’m sure GMO will run a nice business with it. I’m especially happy to hear him tell us that a portion of the proceeds will go to help Somalians.
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Rick – It’s interesting that you’ve cut a deal with Somalia for the .so extension. Can you tell us about your interactions with them? Who in the country do you deal with? What were they like?
Hiro Tsukahara - Our first encounter with the gentlemen from Somalia was in Nairobi, right before the ICANN meeting earlier this year. We immediately sat down for discussions and met again at a later date in Tokyo to finalize the deal. Those we are in talks with represent The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and are nothing but great individuals each of whom manouevre multiple languages, which depict the high standards of education within the country.
Rick – How secure is the partnership you have with the central registry? Is there any risk that something would happen that would cost the registrants their domains?
Hiro Tsukahara - The partnership with the The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is set and firm. In regard to “risk,” we don’t see that there is any more risk for registrants than there is when registering other ccTLD domain names.
Rick – Can you tell us about your sunrise period?
Hiro Tsukahara - The sunrise period, open to any trademark holder, is projected to begin on the 20th of October, 2010.
Rick – When will general registration take place?
Hiro Tsukahara - General Registration will begin on March 1st, 2011.
Rick – What will the price point be per domain?
Hiro Tsukahara - General Registration fee per domain will be around $20/year (depending on the registrar).
Rick – Will you be holding back premium domains for auction?
Hiro Tsukahara - Yes, premium domains will be held for auction at a later date.
Rick Please tell us anything else you would like our readers to know about the extension.
Hiro Tsukahara - Since Somalia remains to be a country where help is needed in many areas, GMO Registry will donate parts of its operating profit to provide necessary aide especially for children.
Through the project, we aim to start a global awareness campaign where we hope to see domains registered as means of charity to make Somalia a better place to live.
That’s great Hiro. Thanks so much for the interview.
Source: http://www.ricklatona.com/
