Beginning July 20, 2010, you will be able to register .CO domains for $35/year.
The .CO top-level domain (TLD) obviously can be seen as an alternative to the .COM TLD, which has been well-saturated since it was introduced way back in 1985. Although the “co” extension implies that it is intended for “companies” or “corporations”, the TLD is available to anyone — personal or commercial, non-profit, public or private.
This general availability of .CO domains is actually preceded by a “landrush” phase where organizations can apply for a domain before the general public. It’s not cheap — at least $300, and conflicting applications are auctioned off to the highest bidder. But if you really want a specific .CO domain, you have the opportunity to get it at a premium price.
Additional information:
- Domain Name Wire article: .Co Domain Name is .Coming
- The registrar’s official website