Mountain View, Calif., May 30, 2001 - VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:
VRSN), the leading provider of Internet trust services, today announced
an agreement with WorldNames, Inc., the registry for Web addresses ending
in .nu
, to extend registration service for .nu names to the VeriSign Global Registry Services division's
customer base of over 80 domain name registrars. These registrars cover
over 75% of domain names registered on the Internet.
"We are pleased that WorldNames has chosen
VeriSign to expand access of .nu domain names for businesses and consumers worldwide,"
said Herb Hribar, executive vice president and general manager of VeriSign
Global Registry Services. "The availability of this fast growing
and unrestricted domain space through our systems allows us to help
our registrar customers easily expand their business by offering a new
top-level domain choice to registrants."
The .nu name space is one of the fastest growing domains on the
Internet, with over 100,000 names registered to date. It is the country
code top-level domain (TLD) associated with the nation of Niue. WorldNames
subsidiary, .NU Domain, manages the registry for the domain under agreement
with the Internet Users Society of Niue and assignment by the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Under the terms
of the agreement with VeriSign, WorldNames will continue to operate
and maintain the authoritative Registry for .nu names.
"Our partnership with VeriSign has the potential
to more than double the number of registrars and resellers offering .nu domain
name services, which will help drive continued growth of the .nu domain," said J. William Semich, president of WorldNames
and founder of .NU Domain. "VeriSign's unique reach, combined with
their unparalleled experience in registration systems, makes them an
ideal partner for us in continuing the growth of .nu. "
VeriSign will make the .nu domain available through its Shared Registration System
(SRS), the system currently in place in support of other TLDs, including
.com. Use of the SRS will allow multiple domain name registrars to simultaneously
access the .nu
registry. As part of the agreement, WorldNames has agreed to implement
a Registry to Registrar Protocol (RRP) that will assure compatibility
between the .nu Registry and the VeriSign SRS.
About WorldNames
and .NU Domain
WorldNames is a private US-based Internet infrastructure provider,
offering low-cost DNS technical support, infrastructure support, multilingual
DNS technology and applications services to Top Level Domains (TLDs).
WorldNames' wholly owned .NU Domain division manages the .NU Domain
registry, one of the fastest growing domain names on the Internet. The
company has international technical operations in Stockholm, Sweden
managed by Telia, in Frankfurt, Germany managed by AboveNet and in Wellington,
New Zealand managed by Telstra. Learn more about .NU Domain at http://www.whats.nu and
about WorldNames at http://www.worldnames.net
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 site, www.verisign.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.
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