Back when the internet was just starting, nations were all given a URL in order to publish websites official to the nation. The US got .us and the UK got .uk.
Well Anguilla, the small British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, was given .ai, and with investments and startups surging in the field of artificial intelligence, the country has suddenly found itself with something like a new natural resource—as if it found an oil deposit.
Forever the country has depended on tourism and fishing, but now it sells off the domain rights for .ai for literally millions—$35 million last year to be precise.
Selling .ai now accounts for over 20% of the national revenue, according to World at Large. Charging $140 for a two-year registration makes for steady income, as 90% of the domains have been renewed.
To keep track and control of the domain address purchases, Anguilla has signed a five-year deal with US tech firm, Identity Digital, that controls internet domain registrars. Having around 600,000 registered domains, it’s estimated that its revenues by 2027 will exceed $54 million.
That money has financed an expansion in the island’s central airport with a new terminal and runway for $175 million, which gets totally overwhelmed by planes during the new year when planes from neighboring St. Maarten come to Anguilla to land due to a lack of space on the runways there.
It’s not the first example of a country suddenly benefitting from their domain tag. Montenegro’s .me has become very successful among personal startups, while Tuvalu’s .tv tag has made big money through the streaming industry.
Neither Anguilla, nor Tuvalu, nor Montenegro probably even had internet access when those domains were given to them. Oh the irony.
Source: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
