Number of new .al domains triples

TIRANA, August 1 – The liberalization of the .al domains and the significant tariff reduction as well as the acceleration of procedures since 2010 has tripled the number of new domains in record time. Latest data published by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority show some 3,200 new .al domains were registered in 2011, taking their total number to 8,000 compared to 4,800 at the end of 2010 and only 2,800 until 2009 ahead of the legal changes making their registration easier and cheaper.
Until early 2010, registration of an .al domain costed 75 dollars but the tariff was lowered to 2,000 Lek (20 dollars) in an effort to liberalize the market. Under the 2010 changes even individuals living abroad but holding Albanian citizenship can register an .al domain.
Considered a luxury only a couple of years ago, internet service is becoming more and more widespread even for Albanian households following the more competitive prices operators offer and increased speed. Data from the Electronic and Postal Communication Authority show internet access fees have dropped to the average level in the region for the 2 Mbps unlimited access compared to a few years ago when the tariffs were the highest in region.
The number of household subscribers having broadband internet access in 2010 increased to 110,000 or 13.7 percent of total families, while the number of business subscribers rose to 10,000.
The number of mobile phone subscribers having internet access has also risen to 1.2 million with Vodafone subscribers having the 3G service since January 2010 and more recently from AMC.
The Electronic Communications Authority says that another factor which has lowered tariffs and increased speed for broadband users is also ISP connection to the Global Internet whose speed rose to 14 Gbps at the end of 2010 compared to 6 Gbps at the end of 2009.
The number of internet users has significantly increased during the past few years. According to the latest statistics published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), internet users in Albania in 2010 grew to 1.3 million people or 43.5 percent of the total population, up from 750,000 or 20.6 percent of the population in 2009. Surveys show people aged under 30 make up the biggest number of internet users with 80 percent.