Domain name reform completed in Estonia

Last year, Estonia's national domain .EE announced a reform that would remove restrictions for non-residents and introduce a registration fee for new domains. Existing domains in this zone were required to re-register under the new rules.

The reform concluded on January 5, and its results were recently announced: 30,000 domains were re-registered under the new rules—half the number of domains that existed before the reform—and 10,000 new domains were registered. The process of deleting unrenewed names is currently underway in the Estonian national domain, and these domains will be available for new registration starting April 6.

Eesti Internet, the administrator of the Estonian domain, stated that one of the goals of the reform was to streamline the domain registry by verifying data on currently used domains and freeing up long-unused domains for new users. Previously, domains were paid for by the state, and registrants often forgot to remove them from the registry when they stopped using them.

Internet users are dissatisfied with the reform, citing the high registration fee of 18 euros and 20 cents. However, Eesti Internet promises to implement a fee review mechanism, which will allow the fee to be reduced as the number of registered domains increases.