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.CO Internet SAS, the Registry operator of the .CO top level domain, today announced the launch of a competitive Request for Proposal ("RFP") process to help identify and select a limited number of additional Accredited Registrar partners to sell .CO domain names.

Due to governing policy restrictions, only ten registrar partners could be directly accredited by the .CO Registry during the company's first year of operations — comprised of two local Colombian and eight global registrars (including Go Daddy, Network Solutions, Tucows and eNom, among others).

"As one of the fastest growing domain extensions in the world, with registrants in over 200 countries, adoption of .CO continues to grow," says Crystal Peterson, Senior Marketing Manager of the .CO Registry, "so too has the number of potential partners from every corner of the world who have expressed a keen interest in becoming an official .CO Accredited Registrar."

Taking a measured approach to accreditation, the .CO Registry will be accepting only twenty (20) new Accredited Registrars through April 2012. In future years, the accreditation process will be opened progressively to additional potential partners that meet the established standards and criteria.

Selection will be based on a variety of factors, including each candidate's demonstrated ability and commitment to expand brand awareness, grow sales in local markets, and enhance the overall competitive landscape for .CO domain names.

As in the past, each .CO Accredited Registrar will be contractually obligated to follow international best practices to protect and enhance the integrity and value of the .CO name space — and to support and actively promote a reseller channel to provide for and incentivize broad opportunities for participation by other interested sales agents. The .CO Registry will continue to support both Accredited Registrars and their resellers with custom marketing materials and resources through the .CO Resource Portal located at https://registrars.cointernet.co.

All the details of the RFP Process can be found at http://www.cointernet.co/registrars/accreditation/rfp. Only ICANN accredited registrars are eligible to participate. Questions can be sent to accreditation@cointernet.co.

About .CO Internet

.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain. Short, memorable and credible, .CO is the hot, new ending for web addresses all over the world. From start-ups and small businesses to big brands and multinational corporations, .CO is increasingly becoming the web address of choice for innovators and entrepreneurs across the globe. Please visit http://www.COinternet.co and http://www.go.co for more information. You can also follow us on Twitter @dotCO and at Facebook.com/dotCO. (Learn More)

Related topics: Domain Names, Registry Services, Top-Level Domains