Internet grows to 348.7 million domain name registrations in Q4 2018: VeriSign report

NASDAQ-listed global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure, VeriSign has released a report that indicates that the fourth quarter of 2018 closed with approximately 348.7 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of approximately 6.3 million domain name registrations, or 1.8 percent, compared to the third quarter of 2018.

Domain name registrations have grown by approximately 16.3 million, or 4.9 percent, year over year.

The report says that the .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of approximately 153.0 million domain name registrations in the domain name base at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of approximately 1.3 million domain name registrations, or 0.8 percent, compared to the third quarter of 2018.

The .com and .net TLDs had a combined increase of approximately 6.6 million domain name registrations, or 4.5 percent, year over year. As of Dec. 31, 2018, the .com domain name base totaled approximately 139.0 million domain name registrations, while the .net domain name base totaled approximately 14.0 million domain name registrations.

New .com and .net domain name registrations totaled approximately 9.5 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to 9.0 million domain name registrations at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017.

Verisign publishes the Domain Name Industry Brief to provide internet users throughout the world with statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry. The fourth quarter 2018 Domain Name Industry Brief, as well as previous reports, can be obtained at Verisign.com/DNIB.