Final Transition of .CO ccTLD to .CO Internet S.A.S. Underway

Bogotá, Colombia : January 20, 2010

Colombia's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MINTIC), along with the incumbent .CO registry operator, the University of the Andes, announced the official transition of the .CO domain to .CO Internet S.A.S., at a media event in Bogotá on January 20, 2010.

The objectives of the transition process have been to continue uninterrupted service for the 27,000 domain-name holders in Colombia; maintain the stability of the .CO domain in Colombia and around the world; and continue the migration of the administration of .CO from the University of the Andes to .CO Internet S.A.S.

MINTIC noted that it expects the .CO domain to continue to be a valuable asset for the Republic of Colombia and that it continue to be operated in a sustainable and responsible manner. Key aspects in the process of transitioning the administration of the registry and welcoming the new era of .CO have included:

• MINTIC defined the new policies and operations model by which the .CO ccTLD will be administered – July 30, 2008
• A public procurement process began to identify the new administrator of the .CO domain – August 24, 2008
• .CO Internet S.A.S was awarded the concession with the consent of the incumbent administrator, the University of the Andes – August 20, 2009
• The concession contract was executed between MINTIC and .CO Internet S.A.S. – September 3, 2009
• MINTIC presented IANA with a formal Application for Re-delegation – September 16, 2009
• The Board of Directors of ICANN officially approved the re-delegation of the .CO domain – December 9, 2009
• The U.S. Department of Commerce approved the re-delegation of the .CO domain – December 24, 2009

The transition from the University of the Andes to .CO Internet is expected to be complete by mid-February. .CO Internet has been planning for the logistics and communications required to facilitate a smooth and orderly transition. For all parties who are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the new administration and policies – and the global availability of .CO domains – .CO Internet will publish a detailed schedule of events in the coming weeks.

We recognize and appreciate Colombia’s decision to proceed with the change of administration of .CO and thank the University of the Andes for its proactive support in facilitating the transition process.  We look forward to fulfilling our mission of making the .CO domain available globally in a secure, responsible and sustainable manner.

We also thank you for your interest in .CO, the first truly global, recognizable and credible domain name extension – and encourage you to stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter or following us on Twitter.

ABOUT .CO INTERNET:
.CO Internet S.A.S (.CO Internet) is a strategic venture formed between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc. (NYSE: NSR) to administer, manage and promote the .CO TLD on behalf of the Republic of Colombia.  Arcelandia is an entity with interests in a variety of Internet-related businesses; and Neustar is a leading provider of global registry and managed DNS services for top-level domains.