Afilias Announces Opening Day

First New Internet Domain Launches Live, Real Time Registration

NEWTOWN, PA - October 1, 2001 - Afilias, the .INFO registry, today announced the opening of real-time registration for .INFO domain names. Businesses and consumers requesting .INFO domain names will now be able to get their domain name awarded within minutes through Afilias-authorized registrars. Those interested in registering can see what .INFO domain names are available by using Afilias' .INFO WHOIS database at www.afilias.info

.INFO, the Internet's first unrestricted top-level domain since .COM, is the first of the seven new top-level domains (TLD) to begin live, real-time processing of domain names. The .INFO registration process is faster than the .COM registration process. Users can see their domain name in Afilias' .INFO WHOIS database immediately, and have their new .INFO Web site functioning within minutes. Typically this process takes about 24 hours for a .COM registration.

"The opening of real-time registration is a fantastic opportunity for all small and medium-sized businesses," said Roland LaPlante, Afilias' Chief Marketing Officer. "In many instances, good names are no longer available in .COM, but millions of great and intuitive names are still available in .INFO."

Intuitive, easy to use, and universally recognized, INFO domain names are available for all uses. The new domain represents an opportunity for businesses, individuals and organizations to reach a worldwide audience with information about their products, services and ideas.

More than 350,000 .INFO domain names have already been registered and are accessible through Web browsers worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of Interbrand/Business Week's world's most valuable brands have already registered .INFO domain names, including Dell Computer Corporation, American Express, Budweiser, Wendy's International, and Nokia Corporation.

Those interested in registering a .INFO domain name should visit www.info.info for a list of authorized registrars.

About Afilias
Afilias - the registry for .INFO, the first new global unrestricted top-level domain - seeks to create the most direct and intuitive path to knowledge on the Web. Afilias is a consortium of 18 of the world's leading domain name registrars, with operations across 10 countries.

Afilias was formed in September of 2000 in recognition of the need for increased competition in the domain name space. In aggregate, the company's member registrars registered more than 10 million domain names and collectively offer a wide range of related in Internet services, including country-code domain name registrations, country-code domain name registrations, country-code registry operations, Web hosting, and ISP services.

Afilias' shareholders include: 1stDomain.net, a division of G+D International LLC; Corporate Domain, Inc.; Domain Bank, Inc.; DomainInfo AB; Domain People, Inc.; Domain Registrations Services, Inc.; Enter-Price Multimedia AG (EPAG); Global Media Online, Inbc.; Internet Council of Registrars (CORE); Netnames International Ltd.; Network Solutions, Inc. Registrar Operations; Polar Software Ltd. d/b/a Signdomains.com; PSI-USA, Inc. Register.com; Schlund + Partner AG; SiteName.com LLC; Speednames, Inc.; Tucows.

Afilias maintains international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and US headquarters in Newtown, PA. For more information, please visit www.afilias.info