Indonesian government through PANDI (government’s regulatory body for internet domains) recently announce Tokyo-based company GMO Registry through its local partner PT Telematika Mitrakreasi to handle .id domain services. GMO Registry claims over 10 years of international standard domain services and to provide stable, secure and scalable registry system for Indonesia’s .id domains.

PT Telematika Mitrakreasi is apparently a joint-venture between GMO Registry and also Corfina Capital Groups. For those unfamiliar with Corfina, they’re the company behind recently launched MicroAd and also Batavia Incubator. With both MicroAd and Batavia Incubator they partner with a Japanese company, apparently they have strong intention on bringing these Japanese tech companies to Indonesia.

They also announce the possibility for local companies to own *.id domains on October 2011. This is new, since the government so far only open third-level .id domains such as .net.id, .ac.id, .go.id, .co.id, .web.id etc. I’m very with this move, I always think that third level domains are inefficient and a bit too much, very few countries implement third level domains and even Singapore eventually enable second level domains for .sg.

I call dibs on http://stup.id

Here’s the full press release from PRWeb

Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) September 05, 2011

GMO Internet Group registry services specialist, GMO Registry announces today that it has been chosen by Kominfo-appointed* registry Pengelola Nama Domain Internet Indonesia (PANDI) to operate Indonesian ccTLD, .id. In a partnership that aims to promote Internet growth in Indonesia and expand the .id registry, GMO Registry will build a stable, secure and scalable registry system, implement policy aligned with international standards, and market the domain worldwide.

The partnership is supported by GMO Registry’s exclusive local partner, PT Telematika-Mitrakreasi.*
GMO Internet Group has over ten years of experience in the industry as an ICANN-accredited domain registrar. The group’s total share of the Japanese domain registration market is over 70% (7/2011) and group-owned Onamae.com is consistently ranked in the top ten fastest growing domain registrars worldwide.

Indonesia is a rapidly expanding market and PANDI has chosen GMO Registry for its extensive industry experience and ability to develop a stable, secure and scalable registry system capable of keeping pace with expected growth. GMO Registry will build a new .id registry system, transition the ccTLD to the new system and provide technical training and support to local staff. In addition, under the partnership agreement with PANDI, GMO Registry will develop registry policy to global standards, market .id worldwide, improve overall operational efficiency, and provide consulting services relating to every aspect of registry operation.

“In Indonesia, rapid growth of Internet usage continues to open up new opportunities in the local market for ecommerce and other net businesses,” says Chairman of PANDI, Andi Budimansyah. “As a strong registry with a professional team built on best practice governance and international standards, PANDI aims to further promote and accelerate growth in the industry. We believe our partnership with GMO Registry will help us to continue supporting the Internet industry in Indonesia into the future.”

Says Executive Director of GMO Registry, Hirokatsu Ohigashi, “Working with PANDI, we are honored to have the opportunity to make an important contribution to Indonesia’s Internet community, which we believe can have a real impact on the country’s future economic growth and technology development.”
Transitioning is expected to begin in October 2011 and following the introduction of the new .id registry system PANDI is planning to open up the second-level (*.id) of the domain which has until now only been available as a third-level domain (*web.id, *co.id etc.). The .id character string can be used to represent words such as “identification” or “identity” and the ccTLD will be marketed globally for both commercial and vanity use.

About GMO Registry

GMO Registry was established in 2009 to provide all-in registry solutions for new gTLDs including assistance with application process, building and operating backend systems, and marketing support. Already, global companies Canon and Hitachi have chosen to partner with GMO Registry to secure their respective brands as TLDs and we will be working with new registry DotRyukyu to apply for and operate the two Japanese geoTLDs .okinawa and .ryukyu.

In 2012, GMO Registry will also submit its own application for the extension .shop. With DotShop GMO Registry aims to build a dedicated namespace for ecommerce businesses worldwide. Please visit the following URL for more information on GMO Registry services: http://www.gmo-registry.com/en/service/

GMO Internet Group

GMO Internet Group is one of the most comprehensive providers of industry-leading Internet services worldwide. As well as domain registration, web hosting, ecommerce, and payment processing businesses that each hold the top share in their respective markets in Japan, services operated by the group include Internet advertising, search engine marketing and research. Global online security brand GlobalSign and major Japanese online securities brokerage, GMO CLICK Securities are also group members. In 2011 a new Social Media & Smartphone Platform segment was established bringing together group initiatives in social apps development, flash marketing and Android apps distribution. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Please visit http://www.gmo.jp/en for more information.

*1 Kominfo: The Indonesian ministry of communications and information (KEMENTERIAN KOMUNIKASI DAN INFORMATIKA REPUBLIK INDONESIA)
*2 PT Telematika-Mitrakreasi is a part of the Corfina Capital group (http://www.corfina.com/).