Domain FAQ

The Internet is a computer network based on IP Addresses which are impossible for humans to remember. Domain Names are easy to remember unique names which represent computers on the Internet.

A domain name is comprised of two main parts; a name and an extension:

e.g. titaninternet.co.uk
name: titaninternet
extension: .co.uk

Registering a domain name involves deciding which extension to use (there are many to choose from) and then deciding which name to use inside of that extension bearing in mind that if someone else has the same name already registered you cannot use it.

There are a many different domain name extensions available. Some are restricted (typically country-specific extensions or domains designed for a specific purpose) however this still leaves plenty others available for public registration. Titan have been registering domain names on behalf of our customers for over 10 years and have well established partnerships with leading domain registrars.

The .uk namespace was first used during the 1980s and at that time a voluntary group managed the registration of .uk domain names. When the volume of registrations became too much for a voluntary group, Nominet was established (in 1996) as a not-for-profit company to control the .uk extension.

.co.uk

Commercial Entities within the UK

.org.uk

Non-Commercial Organisation in the UK

.me.uk

Personal (individual) Registration in the UK

.ltd.uk

UK Limited Company (restricted). Please note that in order to register a .ltd.uk domain name your Company Name must be registered at Companies House (your registration number will be required) and your Company Name must match the registration applied for

.sch.uk

UK Schools (restricted). Registration is free

.net.uk

UK Internet Service Provider (restricted)

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) was established in 1998. It has many roles and responsibilities of which one is to coordinate allocation of domain names; these are the commonly registered domains:

.com

Generic Commercial Entity

.org

Generic Organisation

.net

Generic domain, intended for Network/Internet Providers

.biz

Generic Business. Introduced to relieve demand on .com

.info

Generic domain, intended for informational websites

.eu

Generic domain intended for organisations and individuals within the European Union

CentralNic was established in 1995 as an independent global domain name registry committed to making it easier for Internet users to establish new and distinctive domain names with regional and country-specific identities.

.uk.com

Companies in the UK

.uk.net

Internet Service Providers in the UK

.gb.com

Companies in Great Britain

.gb.net

Internet Service Providers in Great Britain

.eu.com

Companies in the European Union

.eu.net

Internet Service providers in the European Union

JANET(UK) became responsible for the administration and registration of domain names under the ac.uk and gov.uk domains on 1st August 1996. These domains are restricted according to JANET’s eligibility guidelines.

.ac.uk

UK Academic Institutes eg universities

.gov.uk

UK Government bodies

Whilst some of the domain name extensions were created with a purpose in mind, provided the extension is not restricted in some way, a domain name can be registered and used for any purpose.

It is recommended that organisations register their name in as many extensions as financially viable in order to protect their brand. UK based organisations typically register under the following domain names:

• .co.uk
• .com
• .org.uk
• .org
• .biz
• .eu
• .net
• .uk.com

In addition, organisations with two names typically register hyphenated domains as well as non-hyphenated ones. e.g. titan-internet.co.uk & titaninternet.co.uk.

Whilst there are policies protecting against ‘unfair’ registrations, the dispute process can be time-consuming and costly; often its cheaper to buy a domain from a cybersquatter than go through the dispute process.

Obviously registering every possible derivative of your name is an expensive process, but consideration must be given to possible lost business if another organisation of a similar name fairly registered domain names similar to your own. We often receive phonecalls from titan-adsl.co.uk customers!

Nominet domain name transfers are very quick and incur no costs. It’s a two-step process:

1. Complete a domain transfer request at devserver.titaninternet.co.uk//domains/transfer.cfm
2. Contact your current domain registrar and ask them to transfer the domain name to us. Our "IPS Tag" is simply "TITAN"

CentralNIC domain name transfers require a little more effort but incur no costs.

1. Contact your current domain registrar and request the "authInfo" code. This is a special code used to secure the domain against unauthorised transfers
2. Complete a domain transfer request at www.titaninternet.co.uk//domains/transfer.cfm
3. Titan will request the transfer of your domain; your current domain registrar have five days in which to approve or deny the request, after five days the request is automatically approved and the domain transferred

ICANN domain transfers are the most time-consuming. Whilst we make no charge for the actual transfer, it is the registrar’s policy that the domain must be renewed for an additional year as part of the request. Therefore there is a fee of £15 for the renewal. (1 year will be added onto the current expiry date therefore you will not lose any time from the transfer)

1. Contact your current domain registrar, request the domain be unlocked and also request the "Auth Code"
2. Complete a domain transfer request at www.titaninternet.co.uk//domains/transfer.cfm
3. Contact your current domain registrar, request the domain be unlocked and also request the "Auth Code"
4. Titan will request the transfer of your domain; the domain owner and admin contacts will be asked for approval – if both contacts approve the transfer it will take around 5 days for the domain to be transferred