The .EUS domain set to complete 5 years embedded in society
- The 5-year track record has been consolidated and the 10,000- domain threshold is close to being passed
- The numbers achieved have enabled the price to be reduced: from now on registrations and renewals will be starting from 19 euros
- The augmented reality installation located in the San Mames metro station in Bilbao symbolises Basque connecting us in the internet
- The celebratory event on 28 June at the Kafe Antzokia in Bilbao will be acknowledging the community
It seems as if it has always been around, but on 28 June it will be 5 years since the first .EUS websites were uploaded to the internet. 28 June, 2014, was a historic day in the digital environment of the Basque language and Basque culture.
To mark the anniversary, the following people met at the augmented reality installation set up in the San Mames metro station: Iñaki Goirizelaia-Ordorika, chairman of the PuntuEUS
Foundation; Josu Waliño-Pizarro, CEO of the PuntuEUS Foundation; Lorea Bilbao-Ibarra, Head of Basque Language and Culture at the Charter Provincial Council of Bizkaia; and Eneko Arruebarrena, manager of Metro Bilbao.
In the press statements Iñaki Goirizelaia explained that this achievement was no more than a starting point. “We started from zero when we launched the general opening of the .EUS domain in December 2014. The domain has certainly achieved its aims, but will this project be viable? That is what we had been asking ourselves. Right now, when we are on the verge of achieving 10,000 domains we have demonstrated the viability of the project and the stability of it as well. We are well known and we inspire trust”.
Over these 5 years the .EUS domain has succeeded in embedding itself in and spreading across Basque society, step by step the domain has become consolidated and the passing of the 10,000-domain threshold is not far away.
The moment has come to take another step in this normalisation process so that the .EUS domain will have a new price from now on, a stable price. The number of domains achieved has made it possible to set the price of .EUS at the level that is normal across the rest of the internet domains: for first-time domain purchasers, as well as for those who have had a .EUS domain previously. From now on, it will be possible to purchase a .EUS domain from 19 euros and it will be possible to renew it at the same price in the coming years, which is a reflection of .EUS normalisation.
As Josu Waliño pointed out, the .EUS domain gives added value for the same price, “despite the price reduction .EUS will continue to offer added value. Henceforth, users will receive advantages that are not offered by other domains, such as their own identity, approachability when assistance is offered to help address problems, and additional security through the collaboration we have with the Basque Cybersecurity Center. As we point out in the campaign, .EUS offers more value at a lower price”.
Augmented reality in the metro
Among the anniversary events, an augmented reality installation has been set up in the San Mames metro station in Bilbao in collaboration with the Charter Provincial Council of Bizkaia. It reflects the fact that Basque also connects us in the internet, by creating digital connections on the basis of .EUS. At the same time it transmits the values of the .EUS domain: courageous when tackling challenges and innovative in ways of working and results. A huge LED screen has been set up at the San Mames intermodal hub and encourages interaction with the users by means of cameras and projections.
This initiative offers an experience, people are the protagonists and it encourages not only their participation, but physical and virtual interaction at the same time, as well as sharing.
The installation has been designed and programmed specially by the Bizkaian company Logela on the basis of Basque and in Basque. The users of Metro Bilbao will be the protagonists of a new, unique experience that they will only find in Basque.
The June 28 event
The PuntuEUS Foundation has organised a celebratory event. It sets out to celebrate that achievement once again, stay the course and set our sights on the summit. The PuntuEUS
community will be acknowledged during the event scheduled for 11:00 hours on 28 June at the Kafe Antzokia in Bilbao. Oreka TX, Mixel Ducau and Maika Etxekopar will be in the line-up.
Entry is free of charge but an entry ticket will need to be requested. They can be obtained via the domeinuak.eus website.