CIRA releases .CA Factbook, an information resource about the Internet

OTTAWA, Feb. 21, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's .CA is the fourth fastest growing top-level domain in the world. Eighty-one per cent of Canadian Internet users agreed that whenever possible, they prefer to support Canadian businesses. These facts, and more, are included in a new resource from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) released today.

The 2012 .CA Factbook is a collection of facts and research about the global domain name industry and .CA's place in that industry. It also provides a glimpse into the state of the Internet in Canada.

"With the release of the .CA Factbook, CIRA is providing Canadians with information that they have not had access to before," said CIRA's President and CEO Byron Holland. "Our Factbook will become an essential information source for Canadian businesses interested in expanding their knowledge about the online world."

The .CA Factbook is presented as an online, social document with tweetable factoids, and numerous graphics.

Some other facts of note include:

• Canada's .CA has the world's14th-largest domain registry, up two spots over the past year.
• British Columbia boasted the highest rates of Internet access, followed by Alberta and Ontario.
• The next billion Internet users will access the Internet via mobile, bypassing fixed line broadband altogether.
• Canadians pay far more than most for high-speed Internet access.

The .CA Factbook is divided into three main sections, the Global Domain Name Marketplace, .CA's Place in the Domestic Domain Name Market and the Canadian Internet Economy. The .CA Factbook is available here http://www.cira.ca/factbook/index.html.

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority is the member-driven organization that manages Canada's .CA domain name registry, develops and implements policies that support Canada's Internet community, and represents the .CA registry internationally.

For further information:

Tanya O'Callaghan
Communications Manager, Canadian Internet Registration Authority
[phone] ext. 262
[email protected]