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CENTR Jamboree: innovating the domain industry?

One big moment for us was leading a panel discussion on innovation in the domain industry. The question was simple but important: How can we bring new ideas to domain registration? And just as important—what gets in the way?

The panel was moderated by Ulrich Wisser, Head of Technical Engagement at ICANN. Speakers included Helen Aaremäe-Saar (Lawyer and Registrar Coordinator at .ee registry), Kristian Oman (.se registry), Pawel Kowalik (.de registry), and Lars LG Forsberg (CTO at iQ Global).

All the panelists agreed: The domain world is fairly conservative. That’s because it’s often highly regulated, and many registries are non-profit and operate like wholesalers. Plus, every country has its own set of rules, so something new in one country doesn’t always spread to others.

On top of that, when a registry creates a new tool or service, it often requires extra work from registrars. If they don’t see enough value, the new ideas don’t reach the people who actually register domains. So even when innovation happens, it might stay behind the scenes.

But there’s growing pressure to change, especially from younger generations and changing customer needs. That’s why many registries, especially smaller ones, are looking at how they can adapt and improve.

Importance of Innovation

For smaller registries, resources for daily operations comes from domain registrations and renewals. And as we've seen, domain growth is slowing down in most of the European countries. That’s why it’s important to find new ways to sustain the business model - raising prices is usually a last resort.

Instead, offering new tools and services can help balance out the drop in revenue. For example, Estonia and the Czech Republic have both started domain auctions, and there are now better tools to fight DNS abuse, track domain stats, and predict trends. NIS2 even helped to drive some of this innovation by encouraging better personal identification methods like eeID.

Behind-the-Scenes Innovation

Not all changes are visible. A lot of innovation happens “behind the scenes”, making domain systems safer and more flexible. These updates may not be noticed by regular users, but they are crucial for keeping the internet running smoothly.

Still, some people asked: Does domain management really need constant innovation? After all, things like electricity and water systems haven’t changed much in decades. But most agreed—new ideas should solve real problems, not just be done for fun. Some key challenges today include dropcatchers (people who snatch up expired domains), registrants data, and attracting the next generation of users

The panelists agreed: innovation needs to happen whether we want it or not (even if it’s behind the scenes). Registries need to work closely with registrars so that changes aren’t just made at the top, but actually reach users. While creating universal standards for all registries is still a dream, there’s more talk now about the value of domains beyond just registration.

Ideas like premium domains, secondary markets, and crypto domains are already starting to grow. The most important thing is to listen to customers and make sure their needs guide the changes.

Sharing Estonia’s Experineces with Domain Auctions

Besides leading the panel, Helen from shared Estonia’s success and experineces with domain auctions. Many countries face problems with dropcatchers, and Estonia’s auction model has been one way to fix this. Inspired by us, the Czech registry launched its own auction system last year and has had great results. This gives hope to other European registries that auctions really work.

The Jamboree isn’t just about panels and speeches. It brought together people from every part of the domain world—tech experts, managers, lawyers, marketers, and registrars. There are few chances to meet like this, so we always take full advantage and bring best practices back to Estonia.