| Introduced | 1991 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | .CO Internet S.A.S |
| Sponsor | None |
| Intended use | Second-level domains (widgets.co) are intended for global use. Third level domains (widgets.com.co, org.co, net.co, gov.co), are intended for entities connected with Colombia. |
| Registration restrictions | Any person or entity in the world can register .co domain names. Certain restrictions may apply for third-level domains |
| Structure | Top-level registration now permitted.[1] |
| Documents | Applicable to second-level domains Launch and Registration Rules (in English) |
| Dispute policies | UDRP |
| Website | http://www.cointernet.co/ |
| DNSSEC | yes |
.co is the country code top-level domain assigned to the Republic of Colombia. It is administered by .CO Internet S.A.S.,[2] a strategic venture formed between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc. Arcelandia is an entity with interests in a variety of Internet-related businesses; and Neustar is a provider of global registry and managed DNS services for top-level domains.[3]
As of July 20, 2010, any company, organization, or entrepreneur can use a .CO domain for their online branding needs. Some examples include Twitter (t.co), AngelList (Angel.co), ENTER (Enter.co), Overstock (O.co) and Google Inc. (g.co).[4]
.CO domain names are available for registration globally through accredited registrars.
.CO Internet S.A.S was appointed as the manager for the .co TLD through a public procurement process that took place in early 2009. .CO Internet received the re-delegation approval as the manager of the .co TLD by ICANN on December 9, 2009, and received formal confirmation of the request by the United States Department of Commerce on December 23, 2009.
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.CO Internet S.A.S. implemented new domain policies that are more flexible and adjusted to international best practices. These new policies, defined by the Ministry of Communications in Colombia in consultation with local and international communities, created the possibility for second-level domain names such as widgets.co.
To celebrate the launch of second-level domains, the registry auctioned the domain name "e.CO" during Internet Week on June 10, 2010.[5] For a purchase price of $81,000, the winner of the auction was internet entrepreneur Lonnie Borck of B52 Media.[6] Proceeds were donated to a charitable cause of the winner's choice.
Summary of new policies:
.co domains became available via the following timeline:
April 1, 2010 – April 20, 2010: Sunrise A allowed registered Colombian trademarks to apply for exact match domains.
April 26, 2010 – June 10, 2010: Sunrise B allowed trademarks of national effect to apply for exact match domains.
June 21, 2010 – July 13, 2010: Landrush allowed anyone to apply for domain names of high commercial value.
July 20, 2010: .co domains became generally available.
As of June 2011, more 1,000,000 .CO domains had been registered by people in over 200 countries.[4]
.co domains names and search engine optimization (SEO)
With respect to search engine optimization, Google confirmed that "it will rank .co domains appropriately if the content is globally targeted".[7]
The third level domain registrations closely mirror the "traditional” IANA .com / .net / .org / .gov / .edu / .mil hierarchy, with the addition of a national equivalent of .name. Different from registrations directly under .co which are used to signal globally relevant interests, third level domains are used to signal locally relevant business, organizations, academic institutions, and government.
IANA delegates ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes as country code top-level domains, and on December 24, 1991, the .co top-level domain was assigned to Colombia and delegated to the Universidad de los Andes.[8]
In 2001 the university began to consider the possibility of marketing the domain as an alternative to the generic top-level domains. The government of Colombia objected on the basis that the university, a private entity, did not have regulatory oversight of the TLD and the Minister of Communications, Angela Montoya Holguín, wrote to them requesting that they not continue. In turn the university wrote to ICANN, rejecting the government's objections and stating their intention to appoint a subcontractor to handle the commercialisation of the domain.[8]
At a meeting on December 11, 2001, Holguín asked the Consultative Chamber and Civil Service of the Council of State to consider three issues:[9]
In relation to these three issues, the meeting concluded that:[9]
In response to the Council of State meeting, the university wrote to ICANN on 12 February 2002 stating that it had abandoned plans to commercialise the domain, and that as it could “no longer bear the administrative and operational responsibilities” it wished to discontinue its responsibility for operating the domain.[8]
Finally, with the enactment of Law 1065 of 2006, the Ministry of Communications of Colombia initiated a public consultation process involving local and international participants, including members of the ICANN community, with the objective of defining the future of the .CO TLD. As a result of that process, through Resolution 001652 of 2008, the Ministry approved new policies that would govern the administration of the .CO TLD. A public procurement process began which resulted in the award of the administration contract to .CO Internet SAS. Finally, on February 7, 2010, the administration of the TLD was transitioned from the University of Andes to .CO Internet SAS, under the regulatory and policy supervision of the Ministry of Communications of Colombia.[10]
On July 20, 2010, second level .co domains became available to the rest of the world on a first-come and first-served basis.
In a historic moment for Colombia and the .CO domain extension, ICANN celebrated its 39th International public meeting in Cartagena de Indias from December 5, 2010 through December 10, 2010. The meeting's host was .CO Internet S.A.S., the registry operator of the .CO domain.
In addition to more than 1000 guests from 100 countries, the meeting was introduced by Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos,[11] Communications Minister Diego Molano, ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush, and ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom. During his opening remarks, .CO Internet CEO Juan Diego Calle hailed the meeting as one of historic proportion, marking Colombia's entry into the world stage as a new and significant player in the development of the Internet.[12]
On February 6, 2011, .CO domains debut in a Super Bowl commercial in a partnership with GoDaddy. The commercial unveiled the new GoDaddy .CO Girl: Joan Rivers.
Only a small group of accredited registrars are able to sell .co domain names directly; other registrars selling .co domain names are acting as resellers. The list of accredited registrars is available on the .CO Internet website, and as of October 2011 there are 20 accredited registrars. Some of the 20 registrars operate under multiple brands.[13]
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