Network Solutions Dot Com Index Shows DC is No. 1 in Domain Name Registrations When Ranked Among the 50 States

Business Wire, July 3, 2000

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2000

Numbers Solidify DC/VA/MD Region's Standing

As Nation's Second Silicon Valley

Network Solutions, Inc., the world leader in Internet registrations with more than 10 million domain names, today revealed that when compared against the 50 states on a per capita basis, the District of Columbia ranked number one in domain name registrations for April 2000.

The District is followed by California, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Maine, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Hampshire in the monthly ranking.

"I remember when The Washington Post Style section covered politicians, now it's all about Internet entrepreneurs," said Doug Wolford, vice president and general manager of the NSI Registrar. "It's plain to see DC is a tech town."

"Dot-Com companies know this region is fast becoming the technology center of the East Coast," said District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams. "These statistics demonstrate that the District will continue to be a preferred place of business for technology companies."

According to the Mayor, the district city council is considering a measure to assist technology companies in locating and expanding operations in the District. The Mayor also recently established the Digital Capital Alliance - a consortium of technology companies.

Not only is DC showing up on the radar this month, it ranked number one in March and February as well. Additionally several Virginia cities have continually ranked in the top 10. In April, they included Falls Church ranking number one among all U.S. cities, and Fairfax at number four and Vienna at number seven. Additionally, Bethesda, Maryland debuted in the top 10 list at number three.

Through its dot com index -- http://www.nsol.com/statistics -- Network Solutions Registrar also ranks the highest number of domain name registrations by business category, by U.S. cities and states, and by cities and countries outside of the U.S. on a monthly basis.

About Network Solutions

Founded in 1979, Network Solutions, Inc., a VeriSign Company (NASDAQ: VRSN), pioneered the development of registering Web addresses ending in .com, .net, .org and .edu and is the world's leading Registrar at http://www.networksolutions.com with over 10 million net registrations. To meet the needs of corporations worldwide, Network Solutions' id Names(TM) also provides domain name registration services for all available country-code top-level domains, for example, .de (Germany), .fr (France) and .uk (United Kingdom). Network Solutions additionally plays a critical role in the infrastructure of the Internet through its Registry services. Network Solutions' Registry customers include all the Registrars of domain names ending in .com, .net and .org. Network Solutions also provides Internet Technology Services that assist large commercial organizations in the evolution and management of their Internet technologies. On June 8, 2000, VeriSign, Inc. acquired Network Solutions to create the world's largest provider of Internet Trust Services. For more information, see the http://www.nsol.com Web site.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, potential volatility in the company's stock price, uncertainty of Internet privatization, increased competition in the domain name registration business including price competition, customer acceptance of new products and services offered by the company in addition to or as enhancements of its registration services, risks associated with the company's international business, uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and fluctuations in its quarterly operating results. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed on December 22, 1999, as amended, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2000.