Just the other day, I blogged about ENUM and I specifically mentioned VeriSign's entry into the VoIP space by offering ENUM. I also mentioned GoDaddy, but more as a side comment that they (GoDaddy) and VeriSign are two of the most popular DNS registrars. While I did expect other DNS registrars to follow VeriSign's example and jump on the ENUM bandwagon, I had no inkling that GoDaddy was going to do it so soon!
Well two days after I wrote "ENUM ENUM ENUM!" GoDaddy has announced a partnership with with several leading telecommunications companies in forming Country Code 1 ENUM LLC. When I wrote that blog entry 2 days ago I predicted ENUM would take off in 2005. Maybe I should revise that statement to taking off in 2004 - after all, we still have two full months to go in 2004! Keep your eye out for several other ENUM announcements soon to follow. Like I said two days ago, ENUM is going to be huge.
Check out the news release:
The Go Daddy Group, Inc., parent company of GoDaddy.com, the No. 1 registrar of new domain names, announced a partnership with several leading telecommunications companies in forming Country Code 1 ENUM LLC ("ENUM LLC"). The main objective of ENUM LLC is to build a public infrastructure that promotes the development of ENUM technology in a single, carrier-class manner within the countries of the North American Numbering Plan ("NANP"), including the United States, Canada and the Caribbean nations.
Using the relevant open standards of the Internet Engineering Task Force and the International Telecommunication Union, ENUM LLC hopes to build a commercial implementation that will provide a single, public system for nations within the NANP that choose to participate. This public infrastructure will translate traditional phone numbers into domain names, thereby allowing the reach of the Internet to combine with the Public Switched Telephone Network ("PSTN") to create new communications capabilities.
With the increasing popularity of applications such as Voice over IP ("VoIP"), a common system is essential. By bridging the technology gap between the Internet and the PSTN, ENUM will enable individuals using different VoIP providers to communicate more efficiently with each other.
"We are excited about this opportunity to advance the convergence of information technologies," said Bob Parsons, president and founder of The Go Daddy Group, recently ranked No. 8 on the Inc. 500 List of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies. "Because ENUM technology translates telephone numbers into domain names, it will make a wide range of Internet and information services like VoIP, email, and fax services, available to anyone with a telephone or any number of hand-held devices."
The founding members of ENUM LLC include AT&T, MCI, SBC Laboratories, Sprint, Verizon and GoDaddy.com.
About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
The Go Daddy Group, the industry leader in new domain name registration, enables individuals and businesses to acquire, create and safeguard their unique identities and brands on the Internet by offering a complete line of web development tools including domain name registration, hosting, email systems, SSL certificates and complementary products and services. Together, The Go Daddy Group companies include three ICANN-accredited domain name registrars: flagship domain name registrar GoDaddy.com (www.GoDaddy.com); membership-based domain name registrar Blue Razor Domains, Inc., (www.bluerazor.com) and reseller registrar Wild West Domains, Inc., (www.wildwestdomains.com). The Go Daddy Group also offers private domain name registration services through Domains By Proxy, Inc., (www.domainsbyproxy.com); as well as SSL Certificates through its SSL Certificate Authority, Starfield Technologies, Inc., (www.starfieldtech.com).
