NSI Taps AOL for Crucial New Domain Hosting Service

Network Solutions Inc. Thursday
selected America Online Inc. to host the
first two new top-level domain name servers for leading Internet registrar.

America Online’s (AOL)
facilities in Dulles, Va. and Mountain View, Calif. were chosen by NSI (NSOL) to be the initial production deployment centers of the two new top level domain name servers. AOL battled it out with a group of 20 leading
Internet service providers to perform the hosting duties for NSI.

Domain name server systems are critical to the basic functioning of the
Internet. The servers located within AOL data centers will provide search
functions for top level domains including .com, .org, and .net.

Bruce Chovnick, Network Solutions’ Registry senior vice president and
general manager said AOL’s excellence at Web infrastructure led firm in its
decision to choose AOL as host to its new outsourced name servers.

“The tens of millions of Internet users who depend on Network Solutions for
their name resolutions will be supported by a secure, stable and robust
infrastructure and AOL will be a significant part of that support,”
Chovnick said.

AOL’s TeraPOP direct connections to the Internet are managed at traffic
exchange points with peering partners AboveNet Communications (ABOV), Comstor Network
Services
, Concentric
Network Corp.
(CNCX), Conxion, Exodus Communications, Inc. (EXDS), Genuity, Inc., PSiNet, Inc. (PSIX), ServInt Internet Services, WINSTAR Communications Inc. (WCII) and other major Internet providers.

Constructed in 1998 AOL’s TeraPOPs have the capacity to move more than
20,000 Mbps to and from the Internet through OC-12 connections.

Matt Korn, AOL senior vice president of network operations, said the
Internet community at large would benefit from AOL’s lightening-fast
infrastructure.

Joe Barrett, AOL vice president of Internet operations, said its selection
to be the first organization to host new top level domain name servers for
NSI is recognition of AOL’s technological success.

“AOL’s enormous Internet connectivity, extremely reliable data centers,
24×7 operations and highly skilled staff will ensure these critical name
servers have maximum availability and direct access to a large portion of
the Internet. The new name servers will be effectively at the center of the
Internet,” Barrett said.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In related news, Network Solutions reported Thursday that its Registrar
surpassed 10 million domain name registrations last week. This latest
milestone gives NSI the second largest paid subscriber base, second only to
its new hosting partner, America Online.

Jim Rutt, NSI chief executive officer, said achieving a registration base
of 10 million domain names is only the beginning.

“Network Solutions looks forward to working with the millions of additional
busin

esses and individuals across the globe that are expected to establish
a Web presence,” Rutt said. “We anticipate these customers will want a host
of simple, easy registration services that we can offer today.”

According to NSI, the global market for .com, .net and .org domain names is
an estimated 160 million. AOL and NSI are well positioned to provide
Internet services for the owners of the next 150 million top level domain
names.

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