Transfers now include renewal, and other changes are coming.
Last week, Identity Digital completed the transition of Anguilla’s .ai namespace to its registry platform. The company will also manage the domain’s marketing and distribution going forward.
This is likely to bring many benefits to domain registrants and registrars. I contacted Ram Mohan, Chief Strategy Officer of Identity Digital, via email to understand more about what’s in store for .ai. My two big takeaways: transfers now include extensions, and changes might be coming for .ai expired domain auctions.
DNW: Identity Digital has previously stated that one change with its takeover of .ai will be that transfers will include renewal time. When will this start?
Ram: Domain transfers included the extension of the domain by 2 years on Jan. 15, 2025, upon completion of the migration of .ai to Identity Digital.
DNW: I noticed that the Whois records for .ai domains now include the creation date and expiration date, which had been previously removed. Are there any other changes to Whois records that have occurred?
Ram: Upon the completion of transition, the WHOIS service for .ai was upgraded to global industry standards in alignment with the WHOIS specifications in the ICANN base Registry Agreement. The format for .ai WHOIS will follow the standard WHOIS specifications per global industry standards.
DNW: What benefits will Identity Digital bring to the .ai namespace, both from a technical standpoint and distribution?
Ram: The transition of the .ai namespace to Identity Digital offers significant benefits, both from a technical and distribution perspective:
Technical enhancements:
- Strengthened scalability, security, and resilience to support the explosive growth of .ai, which has increased by nearly 400% in the past five years.
- A registry system that responds 80X faster than the previous system and enables a quicker registrar purchase
- A modern, cloud-based platform (AWS) providing instant scalability, global resilience, and robust protection against outages.
- Enhanced protection against denial-of-service attacks, natural disasters, and other disruptions, ensuring startups and businesses can confidently rely on .ai for stability as they scale.
- Industry-leading abuse mitigation, with real-time monitoring to safeguard .ai registrations from malicious activity.
- A sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure supporting long-term digital innovation.
Global distribution:
- Identity Digital serves more countries than any other provider, offering greater access to .ai domains across diverse geographies and markets.
- The Identity Digital platform also opens .ai to global distribution with a broader registrar sales channel.
- A 24/7 global support system, ensuring registrars and businesses have uninterrupted access to resources.
- Website resolution is available in milliseconds, supporting the needs of fast-paced AI-driven businesses worldwide.
These advancements not only support the scalability and resilience of the .ai namespace but also help position it as a key hub for innovation, contributing to Anguilla’s digital transformation and economic diversification.
DNW: Expired domains are currently auctioned through Dynadot. Will this change?
Identity Digital is working with the Government of Anguilla (GOA) to finalize the .ai domain auction process. More details will be shared on nic.ai in the coming weeks.
DNW: Should registrants expect any other changes to .ai, such as the initial registration period, prices, etc?
Ram: Registrants can expect an easier renewal process and the immediate use of their domains after registration. Pricing will be determined by the registrar of choice. Identity Digital does not have plans to change the wholesale pricing at this time.
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