Nominet increases price of .uk domains by 50%

Domain name registry Nominet has increased the price of a .uk registration to £3.75 ($5.64) per year.

The increased wholesale price will take effect on March 1, 2016 and also applies to .co.uk; .org.uk; and .me.uk strings. Currently, the registration price of these domains is £2.50 per year.

“We’re committed to running a first class service for .uk registrants, including our renowned customer service, and we’re doing more than ever before to ensure the .uk space is a safe and trusted home for all,” said Russell Haworth, chief executive of Nominet, in an announcement on November 25.

“We won’t compromise on the quality of our service or dial back our efforts to counter cyber threats head on. However, it’s important to us that .uk domains represent value for money as well as quality, and the price we have set reflects that,” he added.

Nominet stated that it has not increased its price for domain registrations since 1999, and confirmed it will conduct an annual review of the price of the domains.

The price increase has been criticised by a number of stakeholders.

A group of registrars, operating under the name EGM, has started a petition calling on Nominet to consult with registrars about the price rise.

EGM fears that the annual review will mean that domain name registrants will face yearly fee increases.

“Prices could increase again next year and year on year, despite the ‘not-for-profit’ making a huge profit for years now,” said EGM.

EGM has stated that its mission is to stop the price increase coming into effect on March 1, 2016.