As reported in the NY Times, Microsoft will soon being providing free registration of domain names in the .com .net and .org space along with free hosting of web pages.

But starting Nov. 15, somebody will offer to pick up the entire bill. You’ll be able to pick any dot-com (or .net, or .org) Web address that hasn’t already been taken — no charge. You’ll get to design a Web site, complete with links, graphics, search boxes, tables, forms and navigation bars, and hang it on the Web for all to see — no charge. You’ll even get crystal-clear traffic reports whenever you want them, showing how many people are beating a path to your door — and still no charge.

So who’s your mysterious benefactor? A little outfit called Microsoft.

The service is called Office Live. Ignore the confusing name, which falsely implies some connection with Microsoft Office. Instead, Office Live is a suite of services, mostly free, to help the little guy get into the game of online sales and marketing. It’s intended for small businesses, but individuals can use it, too.

 It would certainly be something that I am sure many small businesses will look into, and I suspect that is the thought that Microsoft would be considering, and then upselling on value added services. I am also wondering if it is also a strategy to strengthen the release of Internet Explorer 7 as this is a required browser to use the service. Was there a concern in the growth of Firefox and Opera?