# VeriSign Raises 2026 Domain Growth Outlook and Maps .web Launch By John Kim Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/39139 Published: 2026-10-23T16:53:01.000Z Updated: 2026-10-23T16:53:01.000Z Section: Business > The company plans a Sunrise period in mid-December, limited registration beginning in mid-January 2027 and general availability afterward. VeriSign now projects 6.5% to 7% growth in its .com and .net domain base for 2026, up from a previous range of 5.2% to 6%, and has outlined a staged .web launch. The company set full-year revenue guidance at $1.755 billion to $1.760 billion and operating-income guidance at $1.188 billion to $1.192 billion. Third-quarter revenue rose 5.7% year over year to $443 million, while diluted earnings per share were $2.35. The quarter’s [revenue and earnings results]() received separate coverage. VeriSign plans to begin .web’s required 30-day Sunrise period in mid-December, followed by limited registration in mid-January 2027. That stage could continue into early April, after which the company expects general availability. “At that point, we expect to open .web for general availability,” VeriSign Executive Chairman, President and CEO Jim Bidzos said on the Oct. 22 earnings call. VeriSign said most .com registrants would have an opportunity during limited registration to claim an exact-match .web name. The .web domain entered the DNS root zone on July 23, 2026, with VeriSign listed as its manager. At Sept. 30, the combined .com and .net domain base totaled 182.5 million names, a 6.1% increase from a year earlier and 3.36 million more than in the prior quarter. VeriSign processed 13.1 million new .com and .net registrations in the third quarter, compared with 10.6 million in the same quarter last year. Bidzos described the 13.1 million registrations as a record. Management cited registrar marketing programs and AI tools that make content and website creation easier as contributors to registration demand. VeriSign’s preliminary third-quarter renewal-rate estimate was 74.3%, down from 75.4% a year earlier. Management attributed the decline to a higher share of names reaching their first renewal. The rate is preliminary because renewals are not fully measurable until 45 days after quarter-end. ## Links in this article - [revenue and earnings results](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/39032)