WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Due to extraordinary demand for the impending global .CO domain launch, .CO Internet S.A.S. (www.cointernet.co), the registry operator of the .CO domain, extended the high-priority .CO domain name deadline last week to midday Friday, Eastern Time. During the “Landrush” phase, those wishing to secure early access to a .CO domain name were able to do so for a premium price ranging from around $250 to $300. The Landrush period extension, combined with the fact that more than 26,000 .CO domains have already been claimed by worldwide brands, Fortune 500 companies, and others, has many anticipating the upcoming general availability of .CO to be one of the biggest domain launches in history. Further, a study of 600 past and prospective domain registrants, carried out by market research firm Penn, Schon and Berland on behalf of .CO Internet, showed that three out of four people associate .co with ‘company’, ‘corporation’, or other commercial endeavours, presenting a clear opportunity in online branding. “The response to the new .CO domain offering has been overwhelming,” .CO Internet chief operating officer Nicolai Bezsonoff said in a statement. “To keep up with the demand, our registrar partners have asked us to extend the deadline for the Landrush phase to give more people the opportunity to secure their desired domains before they are released to the general public.” Unclaimed domains will be added to the general pool, and released on a first-come, first-served basis to become available Tuesday, July 20. The 10 .CO-accredited registrar partners have been preparing for the general launch of .CO domains over the past weeks and months. Due to governing policy limitations, there can only be ten .CO registrars during the registry's first year of operation as a globally available domain, including eight international and two local registrars based in Colombia. These include GoDaddy.com, Register.com, Network Solutions, eNom, InternetX, Dotster, Melbourne IT, OpenSRS, My.co, and Dominio Amigo. Resellers within each registrar’s extended networks, however, are also able to indirectly sell .CO domains. Neutral, third-party managed services provider Neustar (www.neustar.biz) will operate the technical infrastructure of the .CO registry. Neustar offers full technical, operational, and policy expertise for numerous domains including .BIZ, .US, .travel and .TEL. Many registrars have announced pre-registrations for .CO domains, including ResellerClub (www.resellerclub.com), which is offering them for $24.99 for a year’s registration. “It is a no loss proposition for the resellers,” ResellerClub chief executive officer Bhavin Turakhia said in a statement. “Even if they have pre-registered through another registrar, it will only increase their chances of getting the domain if they pre-register through us as well.” Further, ResellerClub gives a full refund if the registration does not go through. Hostway (www.hostway.com) launched its .CO domain pre-registration this week, offering domains for $39. “The .co domain extension has until now been the country domain name for Colombia, but it is now being opened up to businesses and individuals across the globe, without restrictions,” Hostway product manager Thomas Herbert explained. “For businesses, this creates an opportunity as .co is globally recognisable and credible, in a very similar way to .com has been. In fact, terms such as ‘company’ and ‘corporation’ are widely associated with .co, making it a natural domain name for many businesses,” Herbert also noted that there is another important reason to claim a .CO domain: “As ever when a new domain name comes out, companies need to carefully think about protecting their brand equity, otherwise they could find themselves falling foul to cybersquatters.” While it is expressly forbidden for registrars to market .CO as a typo to .COM, cybersquatters know very well that taking a similar domain can cost a company thousands in lost sales, reputation and legal fees. To date, many .CO domains have been secured by the world’s top global brands and Fortune 500 companies, such as: Amazon, American Express, Apple, BMW, Cartier, Canon, CNN, Coca-Cola, Disney, Ebay, Exxon, Facebook, Ford, Google, Hilton, Honda, IBM, IKEA, Kodak, McDonalds, Microsoft, MTV, Nestle, Nike, Nokia, Panasonic, Pfizer, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Toyota, Twitter, Unilever, Visa, Yahoo and many more.