NetNames Launches ".as" As New Top-Level Domain

April 15, 1998 (11:31 AM EDT)

NetNames Launches ".as" As New Top-Level Domain

By Kate Gerwig,

NetNames, a New York- and London-based domain-name registry, will announce Thursday that it has established a Scandinavian branch based in Copenhagen to serve Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and has launched a new top-level domain designed to expand choices in those countries.

The new country code, ".as," in Scandinavian countries is equivalent to "Inc." in the United States. NetNames is providing technical services for the new domain, the official domain country code for American Samoa.

.As provides companies in Scandinavian markets with an alternative to existing country codes, according to NetNames president Anthony Van Couvering. The Scandinavian market also is one of the fastest-growing Internet markets. NetNames' Scandinavian clients include IKEA, Lego, and Saab.

According to NetNames statistics, 53,021 new domain names are registered every week. Germany's .de, the United Kingdom's .uk, Sweden's .se, and Denmark's .dk are among the fastest-growing country-level domains.