One of the final preparations to be completed is the .au Domain Administration (auDA) registry acceptance testing, currently being carried out on AusRegistry's systems. If this is successful, the registry is expecting to go live early next month.
AusRegistry won the tender late last year to be the registry for .domains in the .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .asn.au and .id.au space. According to AusRegistry statements, its role is primarily a technical one -- managing and maintaining the integrity of the database. It plans to use the international registry protocol standard, using EPP version 6 software.
Prior to going live, provisionally-accredited registrars have to take an interface test. These registrars sell domain names either directly to the public, or through resellers.
Chris Disspain, CEO at auDA confirmed today that Internet Name Group's (ING) suspension as a provisionally-accredited registrar remained in place.
Disspain said auDA was waiting to see the outcome of Federal Court action which the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had brought against ING, and was also investigating certain other matters itself.
auDA suspended ING's provisionally-accredited registrar status following the ACCC's moves to take legal action against the reseller mid-April.
Sasha Sudakov, general manager at ING, said it would like to have the opportunity at go live like other provisionally-accredited registrars. -We've invested a lot of money to go live," Sudahov said. -We would like to go live like everyone else and we would like to be treated fairly like everyone else."
-We do believe that we've been singled out," he said.
Earlier this month, ING issued a statement claiming the ACCC application for interlocutory orders from the Federal Court had taken it totally by surprise. ING argued that many of the complaints forming the basis of the ACCC's decision to take legal action against it were outdated.
The ACCC announced in mid-April that it was starting proceedings against the domain name reseller, alleging it had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct in the marketing of domain names services.
