Verisign, the registry of the .com and .net generic top-level domain names, has announced a price hike in the .net domain zone. From February 1, 2018, the wholesale price of a one-year registration, renewal or domain name transfer will rise from $8.20 to $9.02. According to Domain Name Wire, the move does not come as a surprise since Verisign has the contractual right to a 10-percent price increase in the .net zone through 2023 in line with its latest signed contract with ICANN. It would be logical to assume that Verisign will keep boosting its prices in the upcoming years. Thus by 2023, the cost of registration, renewal or domain name transfer may reach $14.52.
The domain zone .com charges a wholesale price of $7.85 for the same services. The price is stipulated in an agreement between Verisign and the US Department of Commerce as unchangeable unless the registry provides evidence of increased management expenses. Even in that case, a price change is possible only with the Department of Commerce’s consent.
