Announcing partnership with Canadian Internet Registration Authority to advance major systems upgrade
We are pleased to announce a new technology partnership with our counterpart in Canada, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
We have signed a licence agreement to use a new domain registry management platform developed by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, which will enhance the user experience for all .ie stakeholders, particularly .ie domain registrars.
The system provides registrars with more powerful and flexible domain management tools, as well as a modern, user-friendly interface. The switch to the new .ie registry platform also means that .ie will now align closely with industry-standard technical operations in other internet namespaces, including protocols such as EPP and domain lifecycle.
We selected the Canadian solution following extensive research of available “out-of-the-box” solutions. The reliability of the platform has been proven in Canada, where it currently supports the management of more than 2.8 million .ca domains, as well as the .kiwi, .mls and .sx domains.
We expect to implement the new platform by November 2020. This will have no impact on .ie websites or .ie email addresses, and .ie domain holders will not need to take any action.
This change will not affect .ie registration requirements—those who wish to register a .ie domain will still need to prove a tangible connection to the island of Ireland.
Commenting on the new partnership
Our Chief Executive David Curtin, said:
“.ie continues to experience sustained growth following our liberalisation policy initiative in 2018, which made it easier and faster for individuals and organisations to register a .ie domain.
“Our move to the modern and powerful Registry Platform, which has greater functionality and flexibility, will ensure that our technical systems can support .ie’s long-term growth. The new .ie registry platform is an investment in the next decade.
“We are pleased to partner with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. The move to the Canadian Registry Platform represents a significant benefit for core .ie system users: the registrar channel and our staff.
“Registrars will experience continued benefits from this system well into the future. The new platform’s standardised design aligns with the EPP technical interfaces used in other internet namespaces that they are already familiar with.
“We recognise the critical role that our Registrar partners will play in making this a seamless transition, and we look forward to working with them.”
Dave Chiswell, VP of Product Development at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), said
“IE is a perfect fit for the CIRA Registry Platform. The talented .IE team is focused on security, channel development, support and growth of .ie domain registrations, all the same priorities we have in running .CA in Canada.”
“We are excited to work with .IE, leveraging the flexibility and functionality of the CIRA Registry Platform to meet the needs of their managed registry, GDPR and presence requirements processes.”
Naomi Temple is our Marketing Specialist working within our corporate communications team.