OnlineDomain.com Domain Name News & Opinions
From today, anyone can apply for .cymru and .wales domain names. This is essentially a landrush period that will last until the 25th of February 2015 and includes all premium domain names.
If you have not been able to apply for your .cymru or .wales domain name yet, then this is your chance. From this point on, there are no longer any eligibility criteria for applications.
This is how the registry promotes the extensions: “So if you’re proud about being Welsh, or the Welsh connection is important to your business, now you can celebrate that by giving your website a name that ends in .cymru or .wales.”
If more than one person wants to register a domain, an auction will determine who will win the registration.
You can apply for your chosen domain name at any point during the Landrush application window. Applications will be collated until the 25th February at which point
- Any application for a name with only one applicant will be immediately registered to the applicant. In the case of a Premium Name the registrant will need to pay the agreed reserve price
- Any application for a name with more than one applicant will go into an online auction at a date soon after the 25th February. The highest bidder in the auction will have the domain name registered to them. In the case of Premium Names the auction will begin at the agreed reserve price and will not be sold below this price.
As registrars are at liberty to mark up prices, it is worth considering shopping around before making an application.
All auctions will take place via a secure online auction portal provided by our Auction partner, NFPA. If the domain name is subject to an auction, all eligible parties will be contacted by the Auction agent with details of how to register and participate.
The domains available will also include a list of popular/premium terms that carry a £50 reserve price plus application and registration fees. So from the 29th of December 2014, for those looking to create a buzz.wales, everything from the hills.wales to thevalleys.wales is up for grabs.
From 1 March, all .cymru and .wales domain names will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live with the Welsh Assembly being the first to switch on its new domains. Strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.
For more information, please visit homeliness.wales.
