ICANN-Verisign Deal - Domain Registration Data

Jay writes "ICANN has posted a bulletin to demonstrate Verisign's decreasing market share of new domain registrations. This all in support of their "deal" with Verisign. All the data was, of course, supplied by Verisign. According to this, Verisign's (Network Solution's) deal with the Dept. of Commerce was that they had to separate their Registrar business from the rest of the company by 10 May 2001. So instead Verisign is offering us this great deal. Thanks guys." It's sort of surprising to me that anyone is staying with NetSol - they're offering inferior service at three times the price anyone else is. Inertia seems to be pretty powerful...

ICANN has other concerns too - ,BIZ

Although ICANN sites the contractual priorities with regards to VeriSign as their reasons for pushing back the so-called, "New TLDs" until later this year, there are most likely other reasons for their failure to address the TLD issue in Melbourne this week. Concerns over the .BIZ issue and the hearings at the House and Senate levels, along with the various root systems coming together in unison (Except for ICANN and they run a very small rootzone) may actually have more to do with this decision to move back the time-tables than anything else. We urge everyone who understands and agrees that the government should not destroy, nor compete with legitimate businesses that have made their homes, livelihoods, and networks in the Inclusive Name Space to lend their support by signing the congressional petition located at http://PacificRoot.com/collider

(NetSol != Verisign) == FALSE

Network Solutions and Verisign GRS are both owned by Verisign Inc, so when you talk about NetSol, you are talking about Verisign Inc. I am unclear on the relationship between GRS and NetSol, but at the very least, they are owned by the same parent company. In the data on the linked ICAAN document, it appears that Network Solutions and Verisign GRS are lumped together in the statistics. So there is a strong relationship there.

What decreasing market share?

I don't read the chart posted on the ICANN web site as showing Netsol's "decreasing market share." Section B on "New Registrations" shows that NSI's share of new registrations has leveled out at 37%. You have four straight quarters at 37% (+/- 2%), which suggests to me market share is stabilizing and that new inroads into NSI's market share will be difficult.

I know NetSol sucks, but...

Which registras SHOULD I use?

I need to register some names, and want to go with a good registrar. Should I go with Register.com, TUCOWS, or someone else?

Re:I know NetSol sucks, but...

I like Gandi.net [gandi.net]. 12 Euros (around $11 US) and the registrant owns the domain name.