Wireless Domain Name Prices Skyrocket

US Calif : The frenzy is back. Prices for memorable wireless-related domain names have skyrocketed. Last year "Cellphones.com" was sold for $4.2 million by its original owner who had purchased it for $90 in 1996. Just last month the sale of "BuyWireless.com" brought "a healthy five figure price," according to Scott Goldman, a consultant with deep roots in the wireless industry.

Domain names, once a tech bubble-driven free-for-all, have become critical components of marketing plans and corporate identities. For wireless organizations in particular, the profound shift of marketing dollars from "old media" to the web and wireless devices adds new significance to wireless-centric domain names.

Goldman, now auctioning GoWireless.com, is expecting a record price. A recent Google search of the phrase "go wireless" delivered over 7000 news articles and almost 2,000,000 web pages - from cities ready to "go wireless" with a mesh WiFi network to drug companies dispensing drugs through an implantable device triggered by a wireless signal.

In a twist on using domain names the auction, which will continue until April 13 at 9:00 AM ET, has one dedicated to it: http://www.BidOnGoWireless.com will take bidders directly to the eBay auction page. Rob Hall, Chairman of Pool.com, a domain acquisition specialist, said in an interview recently, "The key is to get the right name at the right price at the right time." "'GoWireless.com' is the perfect domain name," stated Goldman. "It's direct, precise, descriptive and memorable."

More than 40 million domain names are in use around the world, with the vast majority in the ".com" segment. Despite efforts by domain registrars to expand the use of other "TLDs" (top-level domains such as ".org," ".net" and ".biz") it's still the "dot-com" that captures people's attention.

"BuyWireless.com is a great domain name and sold for a high price because it's clear, concise and memorable," said Goldman. However, Goldman is convinced that GoWireless.com is the most desirable domain name possible for a wireless-related business. "The price will be left up to the market," said Goldman, "but it's clear that as more people say 'go wireless' every day, the more valuable 'GoWireless.com' will become as a magnet to attract people to the web site having that name."

Scott Goldman is the founder of several businesses in the wireless industry and the first CEO of the WAP Forum (now The Open Mobile Alliance). He has written two books about the wireless industry including "Ask The Wireless Wizard," a guide to understanding wireless terms and technology. Mr. Goldman is a Fellow in the Radio Club of America and was named a "Cellular Industry Pioneer" at the 10th anniversary celebration of the launch of cellular service in the U.S. He has given keynote addresses at major wireless conventions and conferences around the world and has been quoted extensively in business and trade publications for more than 20 years.

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