Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tuvalu misses out on full benefits of its internet domain name, says envoy

Posted at 03:33 on 27 September, 2007 UTC

The main representative of Tuvalu in Europe says the Tuvaluans are not seeing enough of the benefits from their internet domain name dot TV.

Tuvalu’s honorary consul to Britain, Dr Iftikhar Ayaz, says the country hasn’t got the deal he says it deserves.

Verisign’s multi-million dollar agreement with Tuvalu gives the country a share of profits, and sales of dot TV addresses have risen because of the popularity of internet video.

Dr Ayaz suggests Tuvalu should drive a harder bargain:

“When you know that a country needs economic development, they should be treated fairly and they should be paid a good price. And I think at the moment dot TV is not fetching as much as it deserves.”

Dr Iftikhar Ayaz, Tuvalu’s honorary consul in Britain.

Verisign was unavailable for comment.