Why are .tt domains so expensive?

According to the breakdown over at ttnic, theliminghouse.tt would cost USD $500 upront, and then an additional USD $500 every five years, from the third year after registration.

And that’s if it were registered from a local (i.e. Trinbagonian) address; applications from a foreign address would cost twice that. Ouch.

None of the limers here have that kind of cash to splash out on a domain name (though donations are welcome…), but Matthew “WordPress” Mullenweg does – and he’s now the proud owner of ma.tt.

Mr Mullenweg blogged about his .tt acquisition, and some of his observations are worth highlighting.

Like the “90s-era” design of the ttnic site.

And the fact that

…to register a domain in Trinidad/Tobago you have to do an international wire to their bank, they don’t accept credit cards…

Or this little tidbit:

So about two weeks ago I went to the bank, wired the money to their foreign account and then… didn’t hear anything for a week. At first I wondered if I had been scammed 419-style, but then I got an email from their admin that everything was set up.

I’m sorry, but that is just – ghetto.

It is not even remotely acceptable that setting up a domain should require a trek to one’s bank, particularly when one is already having to cough up several hundred dollars. And having to wait a week for confirmation? Really?

This is a fine point, given the crimedrugsfailinginfrastructurepoliticalgimmickryetc with which Trinbagonians already have to contend.

It is also indicative of how much work there is to be done before T&T can truly call itself developed.

The road is long.