As France reaches a million domains, French registry AFNIC's General manager Mathieu Weill discusses .FR's current situation and what the future may have in store.
We talked with AFNIC General manager Mathieu Weill about the strong growth .FR has shown in the last few years.
Congratulations on reaching the million domain mark. Can you start by giving us some numbers on the French extension? Today, .FR is one of Europe's most dynamic extensions, which is all the more remarkable if your consider that it has kept its national bias. In 2007, .FR grew by 40%, with an average of 30 to 35,000 new registrations a month and a renewal rate of between 80 and 85%. Individuals account for about half of the new registrations.
Will reaching a million names change anything for .FR? Do you think it will become a more natural choice for French registrants? Size is important, because it validates the technical and strategic choices we've made, but it's not our only aim. Obviously, it does make us more visible on the international scene. But as you point out, our main focus is on the way .FR is actually used. I think more and more people are turning to .FR as a natural choice because it sends a clear message of being local and belonging to a French-speaking community. A recent study showed that 86% of web users in France spontaneously search for French companies' websites under .FR. That's the key to .FR's continued development.
This millionth .FR has already gotten a fair amount of publicity. Do you think domain names now have real value? Companies must realize that domain names can create value, either by generating spontaneous traffic towards a website or, sometimes, through the name's own value. It's important to stop thinking about domain names as inducing extra cost and to start thinking about them as generating value. Companies should adapt their naming strategies accordingly.
Outside France, reactions to the millionth .FR aren't always positive, presumably because .FR remains closed to non-French residents. Does this have to change to maintain .FR's current growth? People often compare .FR to .COM. We can always debate differences in rules and systems, but I don't think those comparisons apply. .FR represents a country, it has geographical significance and it is not a generic domain. As such, I consider that requiring some degree of local presence is fully justified. As I was saying earlier, .FR's value lies partly in the fact that it represents the French community and we must preserve those values.
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