Switch remains registry for Swiss Internet addresses

The Switch Foundation will remain the registry for Internet addresses with the Swiss country code extension .ch. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) has extended the contract by eight years until 2015. Switch spokesman Marco D'Alessandro told SDA that the number of .ch addresses is approaching the million mark. Last year, it climbed from around 760,000 to 856,336, or 903,669 if the .li addresses, which are also registered by Switch, are included. The foundation is owned in equal parts by the federal government and the university cantons and is not profit-oriented. In recent years, the monopolist's prices have been repeatedly criticized as being too high. At the beginning of March 2006, Switch abolished the registration fee of CHF 40 for .ch and ?.li addresses. In November, the annual fee was also reduced from CHF 35 to CHF 27 per address.