Verisign, the US web services specialist, has reported growth in internet domain names slowed considerably last year.
The company, which oversees the registrations of every .com, .net and .org web address, said registrations increased only two per cent year-on-year.
In the last half of 2001, the number of new name registrations failed to match those that expired.
Registrations more than tripled in 2000 and more than doubled in 1999.
The total number of domain names peaked at 32.4 million on June 30, before dropping to 28.8 million on December 31. At the end of 2000, the total was 28.2 million.
In a separate announcement, web overseer Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has confirmed .org addresses will remain open to anyone, not just non-profit groups.
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