FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE: 31 January 2020, 7:00am

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Blacknight Leads Strong Growth in .IE Domain Space

Big Jump in Irish Companies Switching from Using .COM to .IE 

(CARLOW, IRELAND) 31 January 2020 – For the first time, .IE domains have overtaken .COM domains as the preferred domain for Irish businesses and consumers. The news has been welcomed by the largest Irish domain registrar, Blacknight, which has accounted for the largest share of new .IE registrations. Strong numbers from the IE Domain Registry Domain Profile Report, released today, indicate that .IE is becoming the default domain choice for Irish businesses and those doing business in Ireland.

"This gels with our own internal data", said Michele Neylon, CEO of Blacknight. "Irish customers now prefer .IE over .COM and it's no longer a difficult sell.

For years, the focus was always on .COM, but now .IE is holding its own against the other major domain names thanks to IEDR’s liberalisation in 2018. Using a .IE domain makes you identifiably Irish to Ireland’s consumers. Michele Neylon, CEO, Blacknight

According to the report, .IE domains now account for 50% of all hosted domains in Ireland, and .COM has shrunk to 33%. In 2019, there were 50,167 new .IE domain registrations, bringing the national registry to over 280,000 total registered .IE domains. This strong growth shows the importance of the .IE domain to Ireland's internet space and to the wider European internet in the age of Brexit. Many UK and other European countries doing business in Ireland, now prefer to use .IE when interacting with Irish customers. The IEDR report confirms this with a notable .5% increase in UK registrations of .IE.

"As the UK exits the EU, we expect more UK companies to secure their .IE domains," continued Neylon, "and keep hosting their Irish customer data within the EU as they have to continue to comply with GDPR and other EU data privacy regulations in order to do business with their Irish customers. .IE means trust."

Blacknight is the biggest .IE domain registrar and they have years of experience in registering and managing this crucial Irish internet asset. New registrations for .IE domains have flourished since the liberalisation of registrations in 2018, making it easier for anyone with an Irish connection to register their domain with registrars like Blacknight.

Blacknight, a wholly owned Irish company, is an ICANN accredited domain registrar and webhost. Recipient of several awards for their revolutionary use of social media. Blacknight seeks to lead the way by introducing innovative solutions for its client base, provide dedicated servers and co-location, a comprehensive range of Microsoft Windows and Linux based hosting plans, and domain name registration services to business globally. IP transit services and other solutions for more demanding business and academic customers are offered a la carte. 

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For further information, or interview, contact:

Photos: Michele Neylon, CEO, Blacknight

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About Blacknight

Blacknight (http://www.blacknight.com/) are an Irish based, ICANN accredited domain registrar and hosting company. Recipients of several awards for their revolutionary use of social media, Blacknight are one of Europe’s most cutting edge Internet companies. Blacknight constantly seek to lead the way by introducing innovative solutions for its client base and provide dedicated servers and co-location as well as a comprehensive range of Microsoft Windows and Linux based hosting services and domain name registration services to business globally. IP transit services and other solutions for more demanding business and academic customers are offered a la carte. Fibre broadband services for both business and domestic users are also available throughout most of Ireland.

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