.ONLINE new gTLD alliance by Directi, Tucows and Namecheap

Today, March 27, 2013, Directi, Tucows and Namecheap formed an alliance to manage the .online registry by producing one single bid. There are three more applicants for the .online new gTLD string:

• I-REGISTRY Ltd., Niederlassung Deutschland from Germany
• Dot Online LLC from the United States
• Bitter Frostbite, LLC (Donuts) from the United States

The highest prioritization number for the .online string is 1602 which means that .online will probably not be delegated earlier that a year from now.

Here is the complete press release from Directi, Tucows and Namecheap:

TORONTO, March 27, 2013 – As part of its New Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) program, ICANN has accepted nearly 2,000 applications from prospective registries who would like to manage their own TLDs (letters to the right of the dot). Now, applicants for the same TLDs have begun to compete, negotiate, and, in some cases, join forces to ultimately produce one winning bid.

The first such alliance was revealed today, when domain industry veterans Directi, Tucows and Namecheap announced that they would work together to manage the .online registry.

Directi and Tucows are probably best known for their wholesale platforms and the large, global domain name reseller channels they manage. Namecheap, a top-ten retail registrar, is best known for its strong consumer brand and emphasis on customer service.

The three companies each bring significant capital to the table to launch and operate the .online registry. They bring a wealth of experience and capabilities, from registry management to wholesale distribution to retail service. Perhaps most importantly, they bring enormous global reach. Between their wholesale and retail operations, Directi, Tucows and Namecheap combined reach over 40 million small businesses and other hosting customers around the world.

“This partnership makes perfect sense for us and it makes perfect sense for .online registrants,” said Directi CEO & Founder, Bhavin Turakhia, Tucows CEO Elliot Noss and Namecheap CEO Richard Kirkendall at the exact same time, a powerful display of partnership and an impressive achievement considering the time zone differences. The CEOs continued, “Between the three of us and all our properties, we know we can deliver an outstanding .online experience to resellers and end users in every corner of the world.”

About Directi

With over a decade in the internet industry, Directi is a $350m+ group of businesses, providing various web products and services to millions of global users. Directi businesses include ResellerClub, LogicBoxes, BigRock, Skenzo, Media.net and Radix Registry. Over 1000 employee strong, Directi currently has 5 offices across 4 countries. Directi businesses rank amongst the fastest growing businesses worldwide in their corresponding industry segments. For more information, please visit http://directi.com.

About Tucows

Tucows is a global Internet services company. OpenSRS (http://opensrs.com) manages over fourteen million domain names and millions of value-added services through a reseller network of over 13,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover (http://hover.com) is the easiest way for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. Ting.com (https://ting.com) is a mobile phone service provider dedicated to bringing clarity and control to US mobile phone users. YummyNames (http://yummynames.com) owns and operates premium domain names that generate revenue through advertising or resale. More information can be found on Tucows’ corporate website (http://tucows.com).

About Namecheap

Namecheap is a Los Angeles-based ICANN accredited domain registrar founded in 2000 by CEO Richard Kirkendall. With nearly 1 million satisfied clients and over 3 million domain names under management, Namecheap is one of the top ten domain registrars in the world. Find out more by visiting us at http://www.namecheap.com.