On Monday 31 August 2020, the Restena Foundation has launched the progressive opening of 1 and 2 character .lu domain names. Spread over a period of 15 weeks, the introduction of more than 2,800 possibilities of new .lu registrations represents a unique opportunity to get a .lu domain name and to address the Luxembourg market with a familiar label, associate the identity of Luxembourg with a business beyond national borders, identify the Luxembourgish origin of goods and services, or even, to a greater extent, show an attachment to the Grand Duchy.

A three-stage opening

In order to provide fair and equal access to these new registrations, the Restena Foundation, following the example of some of its European counterparts, is opening up the access to the registration of 1 and 2 character .lu domain names in 3 phases:

• From 31 August to 30 October 2020, during the ‘Sunrise’ phase, holders of registered trademarks as well as corporations and companies can apply for a priority registration if the trademark or name is identical to the requested 1 or 2 character domain name. Domain names are allocated on the basis of application files, submitted by interested parties to the Restena Foundation’s DNS-LU service by Friday 2 October 2020 at the latest. After this date, and till 30 October 2020, the applications will be assessed, and registrations finalized.
• From 2 November to 14 December 2020, during the ‘Landrush’ phase, any individual or legal entity may try to acquire domain names with 1 or 2 characters not yet allocated in the previous phase. This is performed through an online tender process, attributing each domain name to the highest bidder. The dedicated platform will be accessible from 19 October 2020 at 1-2.dns.lu. From this date on, it will be possible to create a user account and preview the auction process. However, auctions will start only Monday 2 November 2020 for a minimum duration of 2 weeks.
• On 15 December 2020, the ‘General Availability’ phase will start. The 1 and 2 character domain names not previously allocated will be available for registration, like any other .lu domain name, through the accredited registrars for .lu.

The end of 20 years of non-availability

The Restena Foundation manages the DNS (Domain Name System) infrastructure along with all the technical aspects concerning domain name registration, including IT systems and the related procedures. As such, it guarantees the availability of domain names under .lu from any point of the internet.

In the early 2000s, due to software defects and security considerations, the registration of the then possible 2-character domain names was suspended. On one hand as the years have passed, these limitations have become obsolete, but on the other the need and recurring demand from corporations, institutions and individuals in favour of the registration of .lu domain names with 1 or 2 characters suiting their activities have become increasingly urgent. All indicators have therefore turned green allowing to open access to the registration of these domain names.