What nic.at does

nic.at GmbH is the official, government-entrusted registry for Austria's country-code top-level domains (.at, .co.at, and .or.at), having operated the .at zone without interruption since 1988 and incorporated as nic.at GmbH in 1998. The company's core function is to ensure that every .at domain is technically accessible and registered only once worldwide, managing over 1.5 million registered domains and processing approximately 365 new registrations per day. Beyond the registry itself, nic.at operates an ecosystem of sister companies that extend its product surface: tldbox GmbH is an ICANN-certified Registry Service Provider offering backend services (EPP, RDDS, DNS/DNSSEC, ICANN reporting) for new gTLD applicants, including confirmed evaluation for the 2026 New gTLD Program round; ipcom operates RcodeZero, an Anycast DNS service with 38 TLD nodes and 51 secondary nodes globally (including new nodes in Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Toronto); and Stopline, operated for nearly 30 years, is Austria's reporting hotline for illegal online content and part of the international INHOPE network.

The underlying technology stack is purpose-built registry and DNS infrastructure. The core registry handles registration, administration, and unique-name allocation; the Domainfinder API provides REST-based domain suggestion and availability checking with response times under 300ms; DNSSEC and the premium Security-Lock service (EUR 250/domain/year) provide DNS authentication and protection against unauthorized domain changes. nic.at holds ISO 27001 certification and maintains GDPR and NIS2 compliance. The company is led by a dual management structure: Andreas Musielak (Commercial Managing Director, since July 2025, ex-DENIC board member) and Robert Schischka (Technical Managing Director). Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, reflecting the highly automated, infrastructure-style nature of registry operations.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual domain registration and renewal fees (EUR 68 first-year registration including the annual fee; EUR 34/year renewal) plus premium add-on services. Distribution runs through a two-channel architecture: (1) an accredited network of registrar/provider partners who submit registrations on behalf of customers via automated EPP interfaces, and (2) a direct registration channel via the nic.at customer login portal. Pricing is publicly disclosed. Customer segments are dominated by Austrian businesses, organizations, and government entities, with international holders concentrated in Germany (14.2%) and Switzerland (2.2%); additional revenue streams accrue from TLD registry customers using RcodeZero DNS (including Italy's .it) and gTLD operators using tldbox services. The overall business is privately held with no disclosed parent, no funding rounds, and no public revenue figures.

Name

nic.at

Legal name

nic.at GmbH

Website

https://nic.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

nic.at GmbH is the exclusive registry for Austria's .at, .co.at, and .or.at country-code top-level domains, managing over 1.5 million registered domains through a registrar network and direct channel, with sister companies providing Anycast DNS (RcodeZero) and gTLD backend services (tldbox).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domain Registry Services

NAICS

Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

akta.pro primary industry

Directory Services & Identity Data Platforms (BPAMAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

DNS Security & Protective DNS (HDADABAF), Marketplace & Platform Trust & Safety (Buyer/Seller Abuse) (HDADALAI)

Keywords

• Domain registry services
• CcTLD management
• DNS infrastructure
• Domain name registration
• Anycast DNS services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salzburg

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Domain Registration and Renewal Fees: Annual fees for domain registration and renewal. New registrations include first year, renewals billed annually. Direct customers receive invoices 45 days before due date. Providers/registrars receive consolidated invoices.
2. Security-Lock Service: Premium security service with annual fee for additional domain protection against unauthorized changes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

nic.at operates the authoritative registry for Austria's country-code top-level domains (.at, .co.at, and .or.at), managing over 1.5 million registered domains and ensuring each domain is technically accessible and registered only once worldwide since 1988. Beyond core registration and renewal services, the company offers security add-ons (Security-Lock, DNSSEC), a WHOIS lookup service, a domain suggestion tool (DomainFinder), and an Anycast DNS infrastructure service (RcodeZero) used by other TLD registries globally.

Product overview

nic.at is Austria's domain registry operator managing .at, .co.at, and .or.at top-level domains since 1988. The core offering is the domain registration and management service with over 1.5 million registered domains. Supporting products include DomainFinder for domain suggestions, Security-Lock for enhanced domain protection, and DNSSEC for DNS security. Related services from sister companies include RcodeZero DNS (Anycast DNS infrastructure with global nodes), tldbox (ICANN-certified Registry Service Provider for new gTLDs), and Stopline (illegal content reporting hotline). The company operates with ISO 27001 certification and GDPR/NIS2 compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RcodeZero DNS: Anycast DNS service operated by ipcom, a sister company of nic.at, offering DNS infrastructure with global nodes
• tldbox
• Stopline

Products and services

• nic.at Domain Registry (.at, .co.at, .or.at) Core registry service managing all .at, .co.at, and .or.at domain registrations, ensuring each domain is technically accessible and registered only once worldwide. Serves registrars, businesses, organizations, and individuals needing an Austrian internet presence.
• DomainFinder

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% brand awareness for .at domain in Austria (96.9% unaided awareness)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• APTLD (Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2023nic.at joined APTLD as an Associate Member in November 2023. APTLD is the Asian Pacific counterpart to CENTR (European ccTLD association), with 51 full members and 18 associate members.
• RcodeZero DNS (ipcom)coreTechnology or Integrationipcom is the sister company managing RcodeZero Anycast DNS, developed originally by nic.at's R&D department. The service is used by TLD registries and ISPs globally, with 38 nodes for TLD customers and 51 nodes for secondary customers. ipcom provides DNS and DNSSEC services that complement nic.at's registry operations.
• tldbox GmbHcoreTechnology or Integrationtldbox is a sister company of nic.at, specializing in registry services and gTLD consulting since 2012. The company operates registries for .BERLIN and .HAMBURG, and was successfully evaluated by ICANN as a Registry Service Provider (RSP) for the 2026 New gTLD Program round. tldbox offers complete registry backend services including EPP, RDDS, DNS/DNSSEC, ICANN reporting, and escrow creation.
• StoplinecoreOthersStopline is the Austrian reporting center against sexual abuse depictions of minors and national socialist reactivation online, operated by nic.at for nearly 30 years. In 2025, 75,089 reports were received with 38,264 classified as illegal content. No illegal content was hosted by Austrian providers in 2025.
• INHOPE NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of 57 partner hotlines in 53 countries for reporting illegal content. Stopline is part of this network, enabling international cooperation for rapid removal of illegal content. Countries with INHOPE hotlines remove illegal content within 1.4 days on average.
• ISPA (Internet Service Providers Austria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint presentation of Stopline annual reports with ISPA. Collaboration ensures effective 'deletion instead of blocking' approach for illegal content, maintaining Austria as unattractive hosting location.
• .at-Partner (Registrars)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited registrars and providers who submit domain registrations to nic.at on behalf of customers. These partners undergo quality control and can perform automated transactions. A .at-Partnerfinder tool helps customers find appropriate providers.
• Marketagent.comminorOthersAustrian online market research institute that conducted the 2023 Consumer Survey for nic.at, polling 1,002 Austrian internet users about domain usage and .at awareness.
• CENTR (Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean association of ccTLD registries. nic.at participates in industry events like Domain Pulse with CENTR members Denic and Switch.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DENIC eG: German ccTLD registry for .de, the largest European ccTLD by registration count. Directly comparable as a national registry operator selling annual registrations and DNSSEC services to registrars; nic.at's new CCO Andreas Musielak served on DENIC's board for over a decade, evidencing operational and business-model parity.
• SWITCH: Swiss registry for .ch and .li, co-host of the Domain Pulse conference alongside nic.at and DENIC. Directly comparable as a similarly sized European ccTLD registry offering domain registration, DNSSEC, and affiliated research/security services.
• Nominet: UK registry for .uk, operating one of the largest ccTLDs (~10M+ domains). Comparable business model of annual domain fees plus value-added services, with similar reinvestment of proceeds into national internet infrastructure and safety initiatives.
• SIDN: Dutch registry for .nl with a non-profit structure similar in mission to nic.at. Operates comparable domain registration services, DNSSEC, and affiliated security projects, making it a strong operational and governance analog.
• AFNIC: French registry managing .fr and several other ccTLDs (.re, .pm, .tf, .wf, .yt). Comparable registry-plus-affiliated-services model selling annual domain fees with security and DNS infrastructure components, anchored on a single national market.
• EURid: Registry for the .eu pan-European TLD, headquartered in Belgium. Closely comparable on dimensions of TLD operation, registrar-channel distribution, and EU regulatory compliance requirements that shape nic.at's own ISO 27001/GDPR/NIS2 posture.
• CIRA: Canadian registry for .ca, operating ~3M+ domains with adjacent services (CIRA DNS, cybersecurity, Internet Exchange). Structurally similar to nic.at's registry-plus-DNS-plus-safety ecosystem.
• Identity Digital: Registry operator for over 400 new gTLDs (e.g., .info, .pro, .mobi). The most direct competitor to tldbox for the upcoming ICANN 2026 gTLD Round, offering comparable backend RSP services and competing for the same applicant pool.

Broad incumbents

• Verisign: US-listed operator of .com and .net, with Managed DNS and registry services. A broader incumbent in the same registry/DNS category: sets pricing benchmarks that influence every ccTLD including nic.at's, and offers comparable Anycast DNS and DNSSEC at global scale.
• CentralNIC (Vantage): Acquired registry/registrar platform providing registry backend services, registrar services and monetization tools. Comparable as a multi-product registry services provider competing with tldbox for RSP contracts and overlapping with RcodeZero's Anycast DNS customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theaustrianregistry
• Facebookfacebook.com/nicat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nic.at
• Instagraminstagram.com/atregistry

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about nic.at