Afnic, the non-profit registry for .FR, has been reinstated to manage the French ccTLD for the next five years. The French government has announced the results of an open call for rival bidders that opened last May. The decision was not unexpected, as Afnic has been managing .FR since 1997, and is obviously doing it efficiently enough for the government not to want any changes.
However, the French authorities do have a few new requirements, such as improved security and accountability at the ccTLD. They want it to be even more transparent and under control, according to Domain Incite. The parties are currently discussing the appropriate changes to the contract, which is estimated at about 76 million euros. The new agreement will enter into force on July 1 next year. The French national domain, .FR, has consistently ranked among the ten largest ccTLDs in the world. The French domain zone currently has about 3.8 million domains under management.
