The Internet now has 220 million (22 crore) domain names (web site addresses), according to the latest ‘Domain Name Industry Brief’ published by VeriSign, an online authentication and Internet services provider.
That is about one domain for every 32 individuals on this planet, or about one for every six persons connected to the Internet.
The third quarter of 2011 saw an addition of 4.9 million domains, a growth of 2.3%. The number is down from 5.2 million domain names in the second quarter (a 2.5 percent increase) and 4.5 million domain names in the first quarter (a 2.2 percent increase).
Though they were free at the beginning of the online revolution, companies and people have to pay to have a domain name registered and maintained in the current scenario.
“The .com and .net Top Level Domains experienced aggregate growth in the third quarter, reaching a combined total of 112 million names. New .com and .net registrations totaled 7.9 million during the quarter. This is a 5.9 percent increase year-over-year in new registrations,” a statement on behalf of VeriSign said.
Total number of domains is calculated after subtracting the number of domain names that fell into disuse during the quarter, as their owners failed to pay for their upkeep with domain registrars.
The VeriSign report also examines the planned introduction of generic domains. The names, such as, for example, .nike or .pepsi, that are expected to allow companies and others design their online presence in more creative ways, such as having different websites for each of their product or locations.