Registry acquires .mobi operator.

Domain name registry Afilias has acquired DotMobi, the registry for .mobi top level domain names.

Afilias is best known for managing the .info domain name registry. It also provides registry services for more than 15 million domains. Afilias supports .INFO, .ORG, .aero, .ASIA, .AG (Antigua and Barbuda), .BZ (Belize), .GI (Gibraltar), .HN (Honduras), .IN (India), .LC (St. Lucia), .ME (Montenegro), .MN (Mongolia), .SC (the Seychelles), .VC (St. Vincent and the Grenadines).

Afilias already had a working relationship with DotMobi. From the press release:

Afilias and dotMobi have worked closely together since the Mobi JV (predecessor to dotMobi) was started by Nokia, Vodafone and Microsoft to apply to ICANN for the .mobi TLD in 2004. Upon approval, Afilias provided registry services in support of the successful launch in 2006, and today there are nearly one million .mobi registrations. Now more established, dotMobi will benefit from the increased focus that a seasoned registry expert like Afilias will provide.

It will be interesting to see if Afilias changes up the model for .mobi, a domain name intended for mobile web sites. Afilias’ strategy with .info is to basically give it away the first year, betting on customer renewals to generate revenue.