Internet domains set to expand

22-03-2004

by Craig Liddell

The Internet may soon be swamped with sex, Catalan languages and travel deals, should 10 new applications for domain names be successful.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced on Friday that 10 proposals had been received for new sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs). This is the first stage before the introduction of generic TLDs (gTLDS).

Respondents include the curiously named Universal Postal Union, which is vying for dot-post (.post), The Society for Human Resource Management hopes to pick up dot-jobs (.jobs), while The International Foundation for Online Responsibility wants dot-xxx (.xxx) to serve the needs of the on-line adult-entertainment community. Other proposed domains include dot-asia (.asia), dot-cat (.cat), dot-mail (.mail), dot-mobi (.mobi), dot-tel (.tel) and dot-travel (.travel).

ICANN is a non-profit corporation responsible for the Internet's addressing system, making it responsible for the allocation of TLDs like dot-com (.com) and dot-org (.org). The organisation hasn't approved any new TLDs since adding dot-biz (.biz), dot-info (.info), dot-aero (.aero) and four others in 2000.

In the United Kingdom, one of two organisations vying for the potentially lucrative domain names is The Anti-Spam Community Registry, who represent the "community of individuals and companies who wish to receive spam-free e-mail Â…" The second proposal came from Telname, who join New York-based Pulver.com in contesting the dot-tel domain.

Telname wants the domain name to, "establish a text-based naming and navigation oriented sTLD that addresses the unique needs of the fixed-line and wireless Internet-Communications namespace." Essentially, any individual or business will be able to initiate communications or access services simply by inputting, for example, adamsmith.tel or hertz.tel on their Internet-enabled communications device.

Pulver.com provides the Internet Protocol (IP) communications industry with forums, discussion lists, scheduled industry events and ad hoc meetings to deal with any number of issues facing the industry.

Should they be successful, the new domains will add to the original gTLDs that were created in the 1980s. These include dot-com, dot-edu (.edu), dot-gov (.gov), dot-int (.int), dot-mil (.mil) and dot-net (.net).

Applications for the new round of domain names were submitted in response to a request for proposals, initiated by ICANN in December 2003. During April, the public will be able to comment on the proposals, which will be followed by a review of the applications by an independent panel in May.

The criteria for judging the proposals require that there be broad support for the TLD, that it enhances diversity of the Internet name space and that it be financially viable.