Afilias
American domain name registry
title: "Afilias" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["technology-companies-of-the-united-states", "domain-name-registries", "internet-properties-established-in-2000", "2020-mergers-and-acquisitions"] description: "American domain name registry" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afilias" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American domain name registry ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox website"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Afilias, Inc. |
| type | Subsidiary |
| logo | Afilias logo.svg |
| foundation | |
| dissolved | |
| successor | Identity Digital |
| parent | Donuts (since December 2020) |
| key_people | Hal Lubsen, Ram Mohan, Roland LaPlante, Philipp Grabensee, Ken Stubbs, Jonathan Robinson, Steve Heflin, Scott Hemphill |
| industry | Web domain registration |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Afilias, Inc. | type = Subsidiary | logo = Afilias logo.svg | foundation = | dissolved = | successor = Identity Digital | parent = Donuts (since December 2020) | key_people = Hal Lubsen, Ram Mohan, Roland LaPlante, Philipp Grabensee, Ken Stubbs, Jonathan Robinson, Steve Heflin, Scott Hemphill | industry = Web domain registration | website =
Afilias, Inc. was a US corporation that was the registry operator of the .info, .mobi and .pro top-level domain, service provider for registry operators of .org, .ngo, .lgbt, .asia, .aero, and a provider of domain name registry services for countries around the world, including .MN (Mongolia), .AG (Antigua and Barbuda), .AU (Australia), .BM (Bermuda), .BZ (Belize), .AC (Ascension Island), .GI (Gibraltar), .IO (British Indian Ocean Territory) .ME (Montenegro), .PR (Puerto Rico), .SC (the Seychelles), .SH (Saint Helena), and .VC (St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Afilias also provided ancillary support to other domains, including .SG (Singapore), .LA (Laos), and .HN (Honduras). It was merged into Identity Digital in 2022.
History
Afilias was formed in October 2000 by a group of 19 major domain name registrars.{{cite news | title = GMO Internet Group History | date = October 3, 2000 | url = https://www.gmo.jp/en/company-profile/history/ | access-date = February 4, 2016}}{{cite news | last =Portal | first =Presse | title =World´s Leading Internet Domain Name Registrars Unite to Create Top Level Domain With Global Appeal | newspaper =Press Relations Presse Portal | date =October 3, 2000 | url =http://www.pressrelations.de/new/standard/result_main.cfm?pfach=1&n_firmanr_=101523&sektor=pm&detail=1&r=39108&sid=&aktion=jour_pm&quelle=0 | access-date =January 3, 2014 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140408231108/http://www.pressrelations.de/new/standard/result_main.cfm?pfach=1&n_firmanr_=101523&sektor=pm&detail=1&r=39108&sid=&aktion=jour_pm&quelle=0 | archive-date =April 8, 2014 | url-status =dead | last = | title =Afilias Appoints New Chief Marketing Officer to Build .INFO Brand Worldwide; Former McGraw Hill Exec. to Spearhead Brand & Marketing Strategy for .INFO | newspaper =The Free Library | date =July 9, 2001 | url =http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Afilias+Appoints+New+Chief+Marketing+Officer+to+Build+.INFO+Brand...-a076389649 | access-date =March 16, 2011 | archive-date =April 8, 2014 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140408225225/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Afilias+Appoints+New+Chief+Marketing+Officer+to+Build+.INFO+Brand...-a076389649 | url-status =dead
In February 2010, Afilias acquired mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd., the sponsoring organization and registry operator for the .mobi top-level domain (known publicly as dotMobi). While dotMobi continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, Afilias is now the registered Registry Operator for the .mobi domain.{{cite news | last =Hamilton | first =David | title =Afilias Acquires .Mobi Domain Registry dotMobi | newspaper =Web Host Industry Review | date =February 11, 2010 | url =http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/afilias-acquires-mobi-domain-registry-dotmobi | access-date = October 6, 2012}}
In December 2012, Afilias acquired registryPro, the sponsoring organization and registry operator for the .pro top-level domain. While RegistryPro continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, Afilias is now the registered Registry Operator for the .pro domain.{{cite news | last =LaPlante | first =Roland | title =Afilias Acquires Registry Services Corporation, .PRO | newspaper =Circle ID | date =January 17, 2012 | url =http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120117_afilias_acquires_registry_services_corporation_dot_pro/ | access-date = January 21, 2014}}
In October 2015, Afilias acquired domain name registrar 101domain, with the registrar's CEO Wolfgang Reile stepping down and its COO and CFO Anthony M. Beltran leading operations under Afilias.
In December 2017, Afilias was chosen by auDA to supply .au registry services. Afilias opened its Melbourne Australia branch to do this. Under Ram Mohan's leadership, Afilias successfully completed the historic transition on July 1, 2018, setting the Guinness World Records title for largest migration of an internet top-level domain in a single transition following its transfer of 3,153,979 .au domain names on Sunday, July 1, 2018.
In November 2020, it was announced that Afilias was acquired by Donuts, the domain name registry operator.{{cite news | last =Neylon | first =Michele | title =Donuts to Buy Afilias | newspaper =InternetNews.me | date =November 19, 2020 | url =https://www.internetnews.me/2020/11/19/donuts-to-buy-afilias/ | access-date = November 19, 2020}} In 2022, Afilias and Donuts were merged and brought under a single company, Identity Digital.
Afilias was headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania, United States, with engineering and operations offices in Toronto, Canada, Dublin, Ireland, Beijing, China, Melbourne, Australia and New Delhi, India.
List of Afilias-operated domains
::data[format=table]
| Domain | Owned or operated? | WHOIS creation date |
|---|---|---|
| .adult | operated | |
| .aero | operated | |
| .ag | operated | |
| .archi | owned | 2014-03-20 |
| .asia | operated | |
| .au | operated | |
| .bet | owned | 2015-07-16 |
| .bio | owned | 2014-05-15 |
| .black | owned | 2014-03-20 |
| .blue | owned | 2014-01-23 |
| .bz | operated | |
| .eco | operated | |
| .gi | operated | |
| .global | operated | |
| .green | owned | 2014-06-12 |
| .info | owned | 2001-06-26 |
| .kim | owned | 2013-12-19 |
| .lc | operated | |
| .lgbt | owned | 2014-06-26 |
| .llc | owned | 2018-02-16 |
| .lotto | owned | 2014-06-05 |
| .ltda | operated | |
| .me | operated | |
| .mobi | owned | 2005-10-17 |
| .ngo | operated | |
| .ong | operated | |
| .onl | operated | |
| .org | operated | |
| .organic | owned | 2014-05-29 |
| .pet | owned | 2015-07-16 |
| .pink | owned | 2013-12-19 |
| .poker | owned | 2014-09-04 |
| .porn | operated | |
| .post | operated | |
| .pr | operated | |
| .pro | owned | 2002-05-08 |
| .promo | owned | 2015-12-18 |
| .red | owned | 2014-01-16 |
| .rich | operated | |
| .sc | operated | |
| .sex | operated | |
| .shiksha | owned | 2014-01-16 |
| .ski | owned | 2015-05-14 |
| .srl | operated | |
| .vc | operated | |
| .vegas | operated | |
| .vote | owned | 2014-02-13 |
| .voto | owned | 2014-02-13 |
| .xxx | operated | |
| :: |
Mobile and web services
- DeviceAtlas
- goMobi
- mobiForge
- mobiReady
Awards and honors
- Guinness World Record for largest ever TLD transition, July 2018
- CIO 100 Award for the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT), June 2014
- Ram Mohan - IDG World's Top 25 CTOs, June 2010
References
References
- (October 29, 2001). "Afilias Appoints Chief Technical Officer to Run First "Thick" Domain Name Registry: .INFO; Former Infonautics executive oversees first global implementation of an XML-based "thick" registry system". The Free Library.
- Allemann, Andrew. (October 16, 2015). "Afilias acquires 101Domain".
- Silver, Elliot. (October 16, 2015). "101domain Acquired by Afilias".
- (18 Dec 2017). "Afilias Chosen to Supply .au Registry Services". auDA.
- ".au Completes Historic Transition to Afilias". MarketWatch.
- GmbH, finanzen net. "Afilias Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title: Largest Migration of an Internet Top-Level Domain in a Single Transition {{!}} Markets Insider".
- Allemann, Andrew. (2022-06-22). "Donuts rebrands to Identity Digital".
- "Afilias Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title: Largest Migration of an Internet Top-Level Domain in a Single Transition".
- "Afilias selected for CIO 100 award". MarketWatch.
- "Afilias' Ram Mohan Named to IDG's InfoWorld CTO 25 Awards for DNSSEC Leadership". PRWeb.
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