.be

{{Short description|Internet country code top-level domain for Belgium}}

{{Infobox top level domain

| name = .be

| image = DNS Belgium logo (en).svg

| introduced = 5 August 1988 {{small|(added to root zone)}}

| type = Country code top-level domain

| status = Active

| registry = DNS Belgium

| sponsor = DNS Belgium

| registereddomains = 1,746,459

| dateregistereddomains = 2022-12-10

| refregistereddomains = {{Cite web |date=2022-12-10 |title=Statistics {{!}} DNS Belgium |url=https://www.dnsbelgium.be/en/knowledge/statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210182856/https://www.dnsbelgium.be/en/knowledge/statistics |archive-date=2022-12-10 |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=DNS Belgium}}

| intendeduse = Entities connected with Belgium

| actualuse = Very popular in Belgium; also used by YouTube for URL shortening

| restrictions = None

| structure = Names can be registered directly at second level; some third-level names under categories such as ac.be for academic institutions also exist

| document = [https://www.dnsbelgium.be/en/documents Documents]

| disputepolicy = [https://www.dnsbelgium.be/en/domain-name-legal-domain-name-disputes/adr-procedure ADR]

| website = [https://www.dnsbelgium.be/ www.dnsbelgium.be]

| dnssec = Yes

}}

.be is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Belgium. In November 2022, there were 1,746,459 registered domain names using it.

History

The domain became active in 1989 and was administrated by Pierre Verbaeten of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2000, the control of the TLD was transferred to DNS Belgium.

It was announced in November 2005 that the initial registration of domains would be free until the beginning of 2006, though with some limits on the number any individual was allowed to register.[https://web.archive.org/web/20051230060105/http://www.dns.be/en/home.php?n=383 .be Advertising Campaign][https://web.archive.org/web/20060310225140/http://www.dns.be/pdf/Pressrelease_en_20060202.pdf DNS BE rounds out successful recruitment campaign by clocking up its one millionth domain name]

This was remarkably popular, with some 17,000 registrations coming in on the first day of the promotion.

Registration

Any .be registration has to be ordered via a registered agent. Domain names are registered directly at second level.

BELNET, the federal internet provider for scientific institutions, manages the .ac.be subdomain reserved for academic entities, with a policy of allowing only one active .ac.be domain per institution.

Because of this, most universities abandoned their .ac.be SLD as primary domain. This is why ucl.ac.be shifted to uclouvain.be, fundp.ac.be to unamur.be, ulg.ac.be to uliege.be or fusl.ac.be to usaintlouis.be when changing names.

The University of Mons-Hainaut, by merging with the Faculté polytechnique de Mons (fpms.ac.be) into a new legal entity called the University of Mons, could change its domain from umh.ac.be to umons.ac.be.

= Regional variants =

The Flemish separatist party Vlaams Belang introduced a draft resolution in the Parliament of the region of Flanders demanding the creation of a Flemish top level domain .vl (for {{lang|nl|Vlaanderen}}, Flanders in Flemish).[https://www.vlaamsbelang.org/vlaams-belang-wil-b-vervangen-door-vl-op-autonummerplaten-landspostcode-internetextentie-en-burgerluchtvaartuigen/ Vlaams Belang wil 'B' vervangen door 'VL' op autonummerplaten, landspostcode, internetextentie en burgerluchtvaartuigen]

However, this resolution failed to receive support of the region's other parties. Only recognized UN member states are eligible for a two-letter domain extension.{{cite web |last1=Postel |first1=Jon |date=March 1994 |title=IANA RFC |url=http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1591}}

In October 2008, the Flemish government expressed its intention to obtain a three-letter domain code for Flanders, like .vla, .vln or .fla. In 2014, .vlaanderen and .brussels were added, also administered by DNSBelgium.

The domain has also been in use as a logo for the federal government since 2003.{{cite web|title=Logo|url=http://logo.fgov.be/|language=fr|access-date=2014-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516190344/http://logo.fgov.be/|archive-date=2014-05-16|url-status=dead}}

Domain hack

YouTube uses the domain hack youtu.be for their URL shortening service.

References

External links

[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/be.html IANA .be whois information]
[http://www.dnsbelgium.be/whois/findRegistrars?0 List of .be registered agents]

Category:Internet in Belgium

Category:Mass media in Belgium

Category:Country code top-level domains

Category:Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries members

Category:Internet properties established in 1988