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• .in domain name gains favour with NRIs
• ‘.in’ Internet domain takes shape
• Net phones comes of age in the city
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.in domain name gains favour with NRIs

Feb 21, 2005: .in domain has attracted attention & emerged as a hot favourite with NRIs across the world. To make the same happen, the Government will discuss accreditation of foreign registrars for registering the '.in' country code Internet domain name. So popular has been the pressure exerted by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in opting for an Indian identity on the net.

An indication of its tremendous popularity with NRIs comes in the form of a well known Dubai-based company that has promised to enroll at least one lakh NRIs from the United Arab Emirates (UAE); Sharjah and Dubai. Another noted case is that of a Singapore based accredited registrar, that has already brought in NRIs and People of Indian Origin (PIOs).

The pace has gathered speed, 66,000 people have received' .in' domain name in the four days since the registries opened for the general public. On an average, over 15,000 registrations are received per day & officials expected the trend to slow down and stabilise at 35,000 a month.

Jitendra Kumar, Advisor with NIXI, a Government owned not-for-profit organization said, “It has started slowing down since Friday and is down to 3,000 per day. But we are revising our estimates because there is lots of excitement among NRIs to get a '.in' domain name." He also said that tomorrow’s meeting willconsider applications submitted by 15 companies including some from overseas. The process has also made easy by the procedure going on-line that allocation ofthe domain name in a couple of hours.

‘.in’ Internet domain takes shape

Jan 08, 2005: Indian domain market will be further boosted with the onset of .in domain that was launched on January 7, 2005 by the Union Minister for Communication & Information Technology Mr Dayanadhi Maran.

Developed by National Internet Exchange of India, it will be the official domain of India. It will spread the known capabilities of the Indian Information Technology sector & the aura of Indian trademark establishment around the world.

Online registration

Application for online registration came into effect from January 1 & will continue till January 21, 2005. Being offered at a very cost-effective rate, it will throw open the surging internet market in the country to more number of people & enable them to get into online crowd.

Nearly five lakh Indian companies are already registered with other domain names belonging to overseas internet domain firms. Mr Maran stressed the need for getting their web sites registered with ‘.in ‘ domain. The vast congregate of Indian internet savvy population within & outside India have been urged to take note of the same and uplift the glory of India.

Some of the most reputed Indian firms such as TATA Group, Bharti Group, TVS, BSNL, MTNL, Indian Airlines, Air India, etc have already gone in for ‘.in’ internet domain, the same providing an excellent lead up for other Indian entities to follow.

Net phones comes of age in the city

Aug 10, 2004: Get hooked and get connected to internet telephony seems to be the name of the game in the old city of Hyderabad, with each passing day. With soaring price rates in both landline and cell phone rates, internet telephony has come as a whiff of breath air and a boon to harrowing phone addicts.

Study reveals that in the eternally famous Old city of Hyderabad as Charminar and ilk have found a readymade ally in net telephony to stay tuned with their mates and close relations within and outside India. Living in a world that is chaotic, crazy and difficult to fathom, the residents live a life that is virtually disconnected from the outside world and having net telephony as a trusted ally has come as a boon to them.

The net phone facility called ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’(VIOP) has earned tremendous popularity due to its cheaper rates and easy connectivity. So popular is it that already 400 booths have come up that helps residents to stay tuned to folks in Gulf and Western nations, the change coming over a period of last three years.

As on now rates are being offered in the range Rs 1.50 and Rs 11 per minute depending upon the specific country. The calls to the West is comparatively cheap and those to Oman and Bahrain the costliest. Also they offer the added bonus of conference calls to landlines and mobile phones, the same helping the customers the painful ordeal of taking the long road ahead to Net centres.

The pick up of this facility has led to a rapid plunge in the fortunes of STD facility and a desperate piquant dilemma for STD booth operators whose fortunes are already reeling under mobile phone onslaught and making their heads shake in despair with a speed that is unbelievably swift equivalent to the speed of laser beam. For once the old city of Hyderabad is not so old, but young, trendy, hep and vivacious.