IE Domain Registry t/a .IE

CHART 2: TOP 5 – MARKET SHARE OF IRELAND’S HOSTED DOMAINS (BY TOP LEVEL DOMAIN) Top 5 – market share of Ireland’s hosted domains (by top level domain) Source: www.hosterstats.com 2010 2020 .com 43% .ie 40% .ie 51% .uk 4% .net 5% .eu 3% others 5% .com 32% .uk 8% .net 2% .eu 2% others 5% .ie up 11 percentage points The Central Bank recognises new .ie registrations as a forward indicator of economic health. On this metric it was clear that Irish businesses and services have indicated their digital intent in 2020. Although CRO data on new company start-ups showed a fall in 2020 because of the pandemic, our data indicates that entrepreneurs and new businesses are taking a ‘digital-first’ approach and ensuring that they secure their preferred online identity with a .ie domain name, before they register their company as a legal entity. Although most registries across the world experienced growth in 2020, attributable to the pandemic, statistics produced by CENTR showed that Ireland had the second highest domain registration growth in Europe – 10.3% versus 11% for Portugal. Market share The database has grown 46.9% on the same period five years ago (2015). The .ie domain now accounts for 51% of all domains hosted in Ireland, followed by .com (32%) and .uk (8%). Over the last decade, .ie gained 11 percentage points in market share of Ireland’s hosted domains from .com, indicating that .ie is the domain-of- choice for Irish business and citizens. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic engendered a spirit of solidarity, with consumers wanting to support local and Irish through the trusted .ie brand. Because every applicant is validated, .ie domains are the best way for Irish businesses to demonstrate their trustworthiness to customers. Geographical analysis of the database The geographical analysis of the .ie database at the end of December 2020 indicated that registrants were from: the Republic of Ireland – 278,042; Northern Ireland – 4,532; and International – 27,279. Registrants with addresses in Great Britain comprises the majority of internationally registered .ie domains. New registrations increased by 20.1% year-on-year in 2020, from 1,313 to 1,578. Bulgaria registered the second-highest number of new .ie domains in 2020 (941, +72.3%), followed by the United States (350, -26.8%) and Germany (178, -17.6%). As part of the .ie registration process, applicants for .ie domains in foreign countries will have provided evidence of a proven connection to Ireland and so the registered owner is always traceable, an important issue for consumers and authorities. They either have customers in Ireland or have provided evidence of another type of professional or personal connection to Ireland. Business and Market Review IE Domain Registry CLG t/a .IE / Annual Report & Review 2020 30