.PP.UA is the only free domain in Ukraine.

Last week in Greece there was6th International Conference of Administrators and RegistrarsCIS countries, Central and Eastern Europe, where Andrey Khvetkevich, directorNIC.UA, told almost everything about the .PP.UA domain.

We're happy to share with you the most interesting facts about the only free domain in Ukraine.

Story

The idea for the .PP.UA domain was born back in 2007, when the .UA domain administrator began converting the then-existing free domains to a paid model.

«We were convinced that at least one free domain should be preserved in Ukraine. People use such domains for non-profit organizations, education, and other purposes."," says Andrey Khvetkevich, co-author of the idea to create .PP.UA.

An analysis of the Ukrainian and international domain markets suggested the basic principles for the new domain:

• free domainmust register only through registrars;
• domain motto: "free and without significant restrictions";
• The domain registry must interact with registrars using an international protocol.

To prevent mass domain registration by scammers, a rule was established: one user can register no more than three domains per month. The question of identifying such users remained open.

To solve this problem, SMS-based domain registration authorization was developed. This meant that only three registrations could be authorized per mobile phone per month. This was the first solution in the world to use SMS-based authorization for domain names.

Free .PP.UA domainstarted its work in 2009. It became the first domain in Ukraine that worked under the international EPP protocol (other Ukrainiandomainsstarted switching to EPP only in 2011), and was the first domain in the world to use the SMS registration confirmation procedure.

Numbers

In 2013, the .PP.UA domain celebrated its fourth anniversary and became the second-largest domain in Ukraine. As of today:

• 165,000 .PP.UA domains have been registered;
• 117 registrars in Ukraine work with the domain;
• domain registration is supported by 3031 operators worldwide;
• In 2013 alone, the number of .PP.UA domains increased by 37%.

TOP 5 domains in Ukraine by number of registrations (early September, 2013)

Future

«Currently, .PP.UA is the largest domain in the country, and we support it for free. Clearly, due to its rapid growth, the domain needs to be monetized. Simply making it a paid domain would contradict the idea we had in mind when creating the domain. Registrations would plummet, and domains would no longer be renewed. Therefore, we decided to use a freemium funding model for .PP.UA."Andrey said at the conference.

The freemium model is a funding model in which basic services are provided free of charge, while additional services are paid for by users.

Currently, the .PP.UA domain provides the following services free of charge (they will continue to be provided in the future):

• registration of 3 domains per month per mobile phone number;
• domainregistered and renewed for a period of 1 year;
• The next renewal is possible only 3 months before the domain expiration date.

With the freemium model, for an additional fee, users will be able to:

• register more than 3 domains per month;
• renew domains for up to 10 years;
• renew domains no earlier than 3 months before the domain expiration date.

The domain will also introduce the concept of a Redemption Period—a paid period for restoring a domain that has not been renewed or deleted.

«Thanks to the freemium model, the .PP.UA domain will remain free, but we will also begin funding it independently.“,” Andrey sums up.

We will follow the development of the domain, but in the meantime you canwatch the videoreport "Freemium model in domains" ordownload presentation.