- Forwarded message follows -------
> Network Solutions Registry Opens Multilingual
> Domain Name Testbed to Registrars
>
> Non-English Character Standards to Extend the Internet Domain Name System
>
>
>
> Herndon, Virginia, August 24, 2000-The Network Solutions Registry (NSI
> Registry), a division of Network Solutions, Inc., a VeriSign company,
> today announced that it will open a testbed for accredited registrars to
> register domain names in non-English language character sets in .com,
> .net, and .org. Presently, prospective registrants are limited to using
> English language characters when registering their domain names in .com,
> .net and .org. The testbed will allow users to register domain names with
> registrars initially in three languages: Japanese, Korean, and Chinese
> (traditional and simplified), and soon thereafter in Spanish, Portuguese,
> and Arabic.
>
> "The multilingual domain name testbed is a significant step towards
> increasing Internet functionality and e-commerce opportunities for over 90
> percent of the world's population which does not speak English as its
> native language," said Bruce Chovnick, General Manager of NSI Registry.
> "We are pleased to play a leading role in expanding the breadth of the
> domain name system. NSI Registry is committed to working within the
> approved standards development process that is ongoing within the Internet
> community, and we are hopeful that this test period, along with parallel
> tests being conducted by others around the world, will accelerate the
> evolution of a global standard for multilingual Domain Name System."
>
> Within the next few weeks, NSI Registry will establish a preliminary
> environment where Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
> (ICANN) accredited registrars can analyze the Registry Registrar Protocol
> (RRP) command functionality prior to entering an operational test and
> evaluation environment. Registrars must successfully complete a
> multilingual certification evaluation for each language encoding in which
> they will be registering names. After completing certification testing,
> registrars will receive authorization to act as a multilingual registrar.
> Start of the certification process is currently targeted for October 2000.
>
> When a domain name is added to the DNS, the process consists of two parts;
> registration and resolution. Initially, the NSI Registry multilingual
> testbed will handle only registration, allowing individuals who want a
> non-English character domain name to register one. The process of
> matching domain names to IP addresses, known as resolution, requires
> multilingual enhancements to Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND), the
> predominant domain name server application software in use today. NSI
> Registry plans to provide for multilingual DNS resolution within .com,
> .org, and .net as a function of the testbed beginning in November 2000.
>
> Throughout the testbed period, various technologies will be employed to
> enable the ICANN accredited registrars to convert a native language domain
> name into an acceptable string that can be processed and stored by the
> DNS. NSI Registry will make available on its Web site a list of vendors
> who have qualified their software for testbed usage, and will also make
> available the requisite DNS protocol information that will enable
> registrars to create their own utilities or work with a third party.
>
> The testbed is NSI Registry's effort to contribute to the work of the
> Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Working Group of the Internet
> Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IDN Working Group's goal is the
> identification of requirements for multilingual access to domain names and
> a standards track protocol, based on those requirements, which will
> adequately respond to the need to scale multilingual DNS globally.
>
> Individuals will be able to register non-English character domain names
> through the ICANN accredited registrars, as they become testbed enabled.
> A list of testbed-enabled registrars will be maintained at the NSI
> Registry Web site (www.nsiregistry.com <http://www.nsiregistry.com>).
> Registrars will utilize the
> testbed to add their customers' non-English domain names to the definitive
> directory for .com, .net, and .org.
>
> To learn more about the multilingual domain name testbed, visit the NSI
> Registry Web site (www.nsiregistry.com <http://www.nsiregistry.com/>),
> where additional information is available and future updates on the
> testbed development will be posted.
>
> About Network Solutions Registry
> The Network Solutions Registry division is the leading provider of
> Internet locator services and is an independent division within Network
> Solutions, Inc., a VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN) company. The Registry
> maintains the definitive directory of over 19 million Web addresses and is
> responsible for the infrastructure that propagates this information
> throughout the Internet and responds to over 1.5 billion DNS look-ups
> daily. As the exclusive provider of registry services to .com, .net, and
> .org, the Registry currently supports 61 active ICANN accredited
> registrars operating in 16 countries around the globe. For more
> information, see the www.nsiregistry.com web site.
>
> About VeriSign
> VeriSign, Inc. 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 need to conduct secure e-commerce
> and communications. VeriSign's services are available through its Web
> sites (www.verisign.com <http://www.verisign.com> and www.nsol.com
> <http://www.nsol.com>) or through its direct sales force and reseller
> partners around the world.
>
> Media Contact: Brian O'Shaughnessy, brianos_at_netsol.com
> <mailto:brianos_at_netsol.com>, +1 703/326-6076
> Investor Relations: Katie Ochsner, kochsner_at_verisign.com
> <mailto:kochsner_at_verisign.com>, +1 650/429-3512
> NSI Customer Service: 1-800-779-1710
>
> Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information
> constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties
> that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or
> implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and
> uncertainties include, among others, potential volatility in VeriSign's
> stock price, uncertainty of Internet privatization, increased competition
> in the domain name registration business including price competition,
> customer acceptance of new products and services offered by the company in
> addition to or as enhancements of its registration services, risks
> associated with the company's international business, uncertainty of
> future revenue and profitability and fluctuations in its quarterly
> operating results. 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 Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on April 12,
> 2000, as amended, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
> 31, 1999 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31,
Received on Fri Aug 25 2000 - 18:24:30 CDT
