Unpopular .vlaanderen extension receives go-ahead

Belgian domain name registrar DNS Belgium has received the official approval for the extension .vlaanderen. It will be operational by the end of 2014, DNS.be announced yesterday. In-depth technical and financial assessments were required prior to the new domain name being approved. Flemish authorities want to use this new extension to provide an opportunity for local businesses, organisations and citizens to build an online identity linked unmistakably to Flanders. Flemish companies, however, do not seem to be bowled over by the new extension. According to a straw poll conducted by BeCommerce, 73% of 291 companies surveyed see no interest in using it, with respondents finding .vlaanderen too long and not international enough. Local authorities appear to be more interested, with 62% of 258 towns and cities surveyed showing an interest in using the extension. Formal approval for the .brussels extension is expected to be granted in the coming weeks, says Philip Du Bois, general manager of DNS Belgium. The Walloon government, for its part,  declined to buy the .wallonia extension, citing the cost of such a move, estimated at between €370,000 and €600,000.