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VeriSign Begins Taking Applications for .biz Domain Names

Businesses and individuals can participate now in phase two of .biz roll-out

Mountain View, CA, June 19, 2001 - VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of Internet trust services, today announced that businesses and individuals may now submit applications for domain names ending in .biz at its domain name storefront (http://newdomains.networksolutions.com/gtld/tm_landingpage.jsp). The application phase for the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) is the second in a three-phase roll-out process, with the Intellectual Property trademark claims service launched in May, the applications for domain name registrations opening today, and real-time, live registrations scheduled to begin in October 2001.

Dot-biz, one of seven new gTLDs expected to be introduced this year, is a new Web extension (along with .com and .net) intended for business or commercial purposes. Filing a Domain Name Application from June 18th through September 25th enters the applicant into a Domain Name review in which the .biz registry will compare each Domain Name Application with the Trademark Claim Forms submitted by trademark owners during the filing period, now extended through August 6th. Where there is an exact match between a .biz domain name and a previously submitted trademark, the domain name applicants will be notified and required to confirm their desire to continue with the application process. After September 25th, NeuLevel, the .biz registry, will begin processing the accumulated queue of Domain Name Applications and allocating domain name registrations. If multiple applications are submitted for the same domain name, only one application will be selected at random by the .biz registry. As such, applicants who choose to file multiple application requests for the same domain name will statistically increase their chances of obtaining domain names during the actual registration process.

"This is a one-time opportunity for businesses and individuals to get ahead of the real-time registration process and formally request the domain names they hope to obtain," said Steve Lorenc, vice president-Web Identity, VeriSign. "We urge our customers to take advantage of this simple step towards getting the Web addresses they need to extend their presence on the Web."

Filing a Domain Name Application through the VeriSign domain name storefront costs U.S. $5 per application, whether the actual registration of the domain name is successful or not. Volume discounts are available for those submitting multiple applications for a single domain name.

VeriSign plans to notify applicants of the outcome of the Domain Name Selection process between September 25th and October 1st of this year. The .biz registry is scheduled to open for real-time registration on October 1, 2001, at which point all successfully registered and undisputed .biz Domain Names will go live as Web addresses.

gTLDs like today's .com, .net and .org help ease navigation on the Internet by separating Web addresses into discrete, defined categories. Dot-biz is one of seven new gTLDs expected to be introduced throughout 2001. Beginning in late July it is expected that, Afilias, the registry for .info, will offer a 30-day sunrise period during which anyone with a registered national trademark can apply for a corresponding .info Domain Name. The two other relatively unrestricted gTLDs - .pro and .name - are expected to open to the public through phased launches, similar to the introduction of .biz and .info. The other three extensions - .museum, .aero and .coop - are "restricted" gTLDs and are not expected to require as many phases to launch. For more information, including an overview of the process of choosing the new gTLDs and how to request Domain Names in each one, see http://newdomains.networksolutions.com/gtld/tm_landingpage.jsp

About VeriSign 
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure services to Web sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers and individuals. The company's Domain Name, digital certificate and payment services provide the critical Web identity, authentication and transaction infrastructure that online businesses require to conduct secure e-commerce and communications. VeriSign's services are available through its Web sites (www.verisign.com and www.networksolutions.com) or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure, risks that the Department of Commerce won't approve the new registry agreements, uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results, increased competition, risks associated with the company's international business and risks related to potential security breaches. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.