The generic names being offered are those that received no bids in the name auction, where the minimum bid was AU$100. For the latest release - termed a "land-rush" - all the registrars were offering a premium service which improved buyers' chances of securing the domain name of their choice. The premium service prices ranged from AU$250 from Enetica to AU$499 from Melbourne IT, according to Josh Rowe, an auDA board member.
"It shows how much Australia likes its generic domain names," said Rowe.
"I suspect the majority of people in the last half hour are people who bought the premium service," he added. Rowe has set up a Web site with a live update of the unallocated names, which became available at 11.00 am this morning. By 11.15am, 718 of the 1342 names had been taken. The registration rate then slowed right down, with a total of 789 of the generic names being claimed 15 minutes later.
Rowe said the biggest outcome from the rush was the fact there were no apparent problems in the registration process. "It obviously proves the performance of the registry," he said. "AusRegistry deserves a pat on the back for the speed it can process domain names. The registrars also, they managed to register the domains in a short amount of time."
