Dot-ie domains rise by 12%

The number of new dot-ie domain names registered in the first quarter of the year grew by 12 per cent, with steady demand from sole traders and small businesses.

The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), which manages the dedicated Irish internet address, said a total of 9,398 new domains were registered in the period up to the end of March, with registrations growing steadily throughout the period. That compares with 8,694 in the final three months of 2011.

The quarter also represented another milestone for the IEDR, with the 175,000th dot-ie domain registered, by Galway based Camilla's Tea Emporium (teaemporium.ie).

A total of 177,720 dot-ie domain names have now been registered.

"We're really pleased with the growth in dot-ie domain registration figures in the first three months of the year," said IEDR chief executive David Curtin.

"The New Year can be a tough time for small business owners in particular, so it's really encouraging to see that many of the new registrations came from sole traders, some of them just starting out."