Businesses and consumers requesting .info domain names will now be able to get their domain name awarded within minutes through any Afilias-authorized registrar. Those interested in registering can see what .Info domain names are available by using Afilias' WHOIS database at its Web site.

.Info, the Internet's first unrestricted top-level domain since .com, is the first of seven new top-level domains to begin live, realtime processing of domain names. The .info registration process is faster than the .com registration process. Users can see their domain name in Afilias' WHOIS database immediately, and have their new .info Web site functioning within minutes. Typically this process takes about 24 hours for a .com registration.

"The opening of realtime registration is a fantastic opportunity for all small and medium-sized businesses," said Roland LaPlante, Afilias' chief marketing officer. "In many instances, good names are no longer available in .com, but millions of great and intuitive names are still available in .info."

.Info domain names are available for all uses. The new domain represents an opportunity for businesses, individuals and organizations to reach a worldwide audience with information about their products, services and ideas.

More than 300,000 .info domain names have already been registered and are accessible through Web browsers worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of Interbrand/ Business Week's world's most valuable brands have already registered .info domain names, including Dell Computer Corporation, American Express, Budweiser, Wendy's International, and Nokia Corporation.

Those interested in registering a .Info domain name should visit www.info.info for a list of authorized registrars to which they can submit their domain name request.