The AFNIC publishes the first report on the French domain name industry

Press release
Saint Quentin en Yvelines, November 28th 2007

Within the framework of its French Domain Name Industry Report, the AFNIC publishes today a document presenting the situation of the domain name market in France, carried through a research contract with the Évry National Institut of Telecommunications (INT).

This 2007 report aims at offering figures as well as inovative analysises on the crucial factors, the trends and the perspectives in the future years of this market.
Based on internal AFNIC data, the report addresses subjects as various as the context of the French market expansion, the evolution of .fr or the profiles of the holders. The report also studies in detail the use of .fr domains and the economical role-players (the registrars).

Market factors & trends

The domain name market is closely related to household goods market and its use. If the French market in its whole remains undeveloped, .fr strongly increased since 2004 related to the successive supplings of the .fr Charter and the very positive image of the ccTLD (country-code Top Level Domain) on the Internet users (related to the values of the French-speaking communities, belonging, proximity...).

The opening to individuals in June 2006 was an outstanding stimulus (+63% of growth for the .fr in 2006). Individuals represent already 30% of registered .fr domains and 50% of new registrations.

Most of the holders have only one .fr domain name, 2% of them have registered more than five. The .fr is not so congested, 23% of towns and 60% of the 1500 first French companies have registered the .fr domain name closest to their name.

The study on registrars emphasizes the fact that the market is not so congested and that a dynamic of concentration is appearing with new role-players specialized in offers for the general public that register high number of domains.

The use of .fr is aimed in general towards professional websites (46%), waiting pages (17%) or personal pages (4,7% of which 0,9% are blogs).

Market perspectives

A strategical analysis concludes this first edition of the French domain name report that underlines the opportunities and challenges for the AFNIC as well as for all the role-players of the French Internet.
The perception of domain names is changing as they are more and more considered as active elements likely to be of value for their holders. New Top Level Domains, new possibilities offered by technical evolutions (names with non-latin characters) or technical progress will inevitably have an impact on the market and tomorrow's use of domain names as an identification on the Internet.

Download the French Domain Name Industry Report - 2007 Edition (5,8 Mo - 92 pages)
URL: http://www.afnic.fr/data/actu/public/2007/afnic-french-domain-name-report-2007.pdf

About the AFNIC

Non-profit organization, the AFNIC is in charge of the administrative and technical management of the .fr (France) and .re (Reunion Island) Internet domain names.
The AFNIC brings together public and private members: representatives from the French government, Internet users and Internet Service Providers (Registrars).
Further information.