.be
Categories: Communications in Belgium | Belgian media | Country code top-level domains | CENTR members
| .be | |
| Image:Dnsbe.gif | |
| Introduced | 1988 |
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | DNS Belgium |
| Sponsoring organization | DNS Belgium |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Belgium |
| Actual use | Very popular in Belgium |
| Registration 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 |
| Documents | Documents |
| Dispute policies | ADR |
| Web site | DNS.be |
.be is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Belgium. 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 transfered to DNS Belgium. As of 2005, more than 450,000 domains were registered.
This top level domain is one of several which happens to also be a two-letter English word, allowing for addresses like place.to.be (which, ironically, goes to a site that is not in English).
Regional domains
The right-wing 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 "Vlaanderen", Flanders in Dutch) but this resolution failed to receive support of the region's other parties. Furthermore, the regional government responded that the creation of top level domains was outside its competence.
External links
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