By: James Koole on May 14th, 2013
Posted in: Partners and Resellers
Tags: Meet the Resellers
Comments: 0

We’re back with another reseller profile. This time we take a look at one of Italy’s leading hosts, Hosting Solutions.

They’ve offered a range of hosting services in the Italian market since 1999. Like many OpenSRS resellers, they provide top-notch customer support combined with quality hosting, all at a fair price. It’s a solid formula for success.

Thanks to Alessio Fanfano from Hosting Solutions for taking the time to tell us about the business.

Read the article.

By: Adam Eisner on May 13th, 2013
Posted in: Industry News, OpenSRS Services
Tags: ICANN, New gTLDs, OpenSRS Domain Service
Comments: 0

Earlier this year, we set up an informational page detailing our position and outlook on the topic of new TLDs. Since then, and particularly since the conclusion of ICANN’s 46th international meeting last month in Beijing, we have received many inquiries from resellers about our plans for this exciting development. As a result, I thought it would be a good time to address some of the frequently asked questions we are receiving.

What do the current launch timelines look like for new TLDs?

We believe the most optimistic view currently puts the first TLDs live and launching their sunrise phases in the third quarter of 2013.

Most applicants are currently being evaluated by ICANN. Exactly when a specific extension will become available depends on several factors:

1. Draw number: in December 2012, ICANN conducted a lottery draw to determine the priority by which each application would be evaluated. Lower numbers were to be evaluated first, and that process is now underway.
2. Objections and contentions: extensions with multiple applicants, third party objections or intervention from ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee can expect to take longer to work through the evaluation process.
3. Desired launch date: Once a new TLD has been approved by ICANN, it does not necessarily have to launch immediately. An approved applicant may elect to launch their extension at a later date once approved.

The net result of this is we expect extensions with no objections and only one application to launch first; many of these are Internationalized Domain Names and geographic/regional domain names.

What extensions are you planning to carry, anyway?

Unfortunately, it’s still a little bit too early to tell. That said, there are some high-level things we can say at this point:

• We are actively evaluating each extension to determine which would offer the greatest business potential for our reseller network.
• We will engineer to every requirement and protocol so that you can manage them all exactly the same way whenever possible using our API and control panel.
• We will give you as much notice as possible regarding the launch of the TMCH, the extensions we plan to launch, and what kind of launch support to expect.

We will relay more details about what extensions will be going live when as we get them.

What about the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)?

The TMCH will be an important part of the launch process. Every extension will be required to offer a sunrise period; if you are thinking of securing any names during this phase, want to protect any trademarks your company may have, or want to do the same for your customers, you’ll want to start thinking about the TMCH.

The purpose of the TMCH is to accept and validate records of registered trademarks, to add them to a central trademark database, and to subsequently a) allow them to be registered during the sunrise phase, and b) notify potential registrants during the general availability phase that the name is a registered trademark (and inform the trademark holder).

All trademark holders will be able to provide their trademark details to the TMCH via OpenSRS and its resellers. As a result, we expect to support the sunrise and landrush phases for many extensions.

While we’re not quite at the starting line for launching new TLDs yet, we’re getting close. Expect many updates in the coming months about the launch of new gTLDs. Stay tuned.

By: Erik Bartz on April 1st, 2013
Posted in: Announcements
Tags: OpenSRS Offers, Ting
Comments: 0

If you’ve been thinking about promoting Ting to your customers, now is a great time to start because we’ve added a new bonus. When you sign up your first customer to Ting using your Offers referral URL code, your OpenSRS account will be credited a bonus $50.

But I know some of you are thinking, “Darn, I just signed up my first customer to Ting last week.” Don’t despair, the computer code behind the bonus is going all the way back to March 1, 2013.

Please note, regardless of when your first customer signs up, the bonuses will be applied at the beginning of each month when the process runs.

If you haven’t experienced Ting yet, or are unsure of network coverage in your area, but would like to before recommending it to customers, sign up for the Taste of Ting trial and we’ll get you set up. We have a bit of a waiting list, but we’re working our way through it as quickly as possible.

By: Erik Bartz on March 27th, 2013
Posted in: Announcements
Tags: OpenSRS Domain Service
Comments: 5

OpenSRS is pleased to announce general availability for .PW domains to all of our resellers. Pricing is $10/year for new, renew and transfer.

.PW is the namespace for individuals and businesses who want a professional presence on the web. There are no restrictions, so anyone can own a .PW domain name. .PW domains are affordable, available, secure and reputable.

Why .PW?

When you get online, you want to project a professional image. Whether you’re a business or an individual, you want the world to know that you are a part of a reputed network – the Professional Web. .PW gives you all this and more:

• It’s Open – Anyone can register a .PW name
• It’s Available – A completely new namespace, with unlimited domain options
• It’s Affordable – Get a quality name at a reasonable price
• It’s Secure – Best industry practices: UDRP, Trademark friendly

By: Michael Goldstein on March 27th, 2013
Posted in: General
Tags:
Comments: 0

OpenSRS resellers should have an inside track on at least one great new gTLD…

http://tucowsinc.com/news/2013/03/domain-industry-veterans-team-up-to-run-online/