‘Dot Thai’ domain name registrations rise by 68%

The THNIC Foundation revealed the number of domain names “.ไทย” (Dot Thai) as of 31 December 2021 totaled 30,311 (https://www.thnic.co.th/th/stats), a good response for the 10^th anniversary of the “.Thai” domain name or website name celebration.

Dr. Pensri Arunwatanamongkol, the executive director of the THNIC Foundation, revealed that on this occasion”, THNIC organized promotional activities for users to register “.Thai” domain names for free throughout the year. The total number of “.ไทย (.Thai)” domain names registered as of 31 December 2021 was 30,311 names, an increase of more than 68% from the previous year.

In order to encourage the usage of Thai domains, the THNIC Foundation launched the ‘สมุดเยี่ยม.ไทย (guestbook.in.th)’ platform in the middle of 2021. This platform allows general users to use Thai email @คนไทย (@kon.in.th) for free, and the email can be used as a Digital ID to use other services such as วีคลาส.ไทย (vclass.in.th).

In the same year, the THNIC Foundation also supported a research study on awareness and acceptance of the use of Thai domain names among Internet users, conducted by Assist. Prof. Pimonpan Chainan of the Faculty of Mass Communication, Chiang Mai University.

Several interesting issues were discussed. First was that Thai people tend to use Thai domains because searching in Thai language is more convenient than other languages. Next, it has been found that a sample group living in a rural area and a sample group with education less than a bachelor’s degree are likely to use a Thai domain more than other groups. This outcome is consistent with the policy of the Foundation to decrease the digital gap with Thai domain names.

The sample groups learned about Thai domains from a variety of sources, including internet searches, recommendations from website designers, and business owners in related industries, and through the use of government services. Although there are still some technical restrictions, the majority of Thai domain and email users are happy with the service and want to keep using it. Users find that Thai domains and emails are convenient to contact customers and simple to use for searching. They can use websites and emails in both Thai and English language at the same time, which facilitates communication with foreign countries and minimizes technical issues.

The THNIC Foundation will use the results of this research to improve and promote the use of Thai domain names to create awareness and understanding. The foundation will cooperate with partners to develop a technological operating system that supports Thai domains and emails as well as connecting to other digital platforms to create an ecosystem that will benefit Thai Internet users in the future.

Dr. Pensri concluded that in 2022, those who already own all categories of “.th” domain names can still request to register additional “.ไทย” (“Thai”) domain names for free, while new users of .th can register “.ไทย” (“Thai”) for free as well. For those interested in registering a “.ไทย” (“Thai”) domain name to increase the opportunity for Thai people to access their website and remember the website name more easily, feel free to contact at Tel: 0 2105 4007, Email: Customer Service @THNIC.Thai / support@thnic.co.th and Website: thnic.co.th. 

In addition, you can activate your own personal free Thai email address at kon.in.th (คน.ไทย) website.