[AfrICANN-discuss] FW: Application Window for New Top-Level Domain Names Successfully Passes One-Week Mark

[Anne-Rachel Inne]

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January 19, 2012

Application Window for New Top-Level Domain Names

Successfully Passes One-Week Mark

Application System Functioning Smoothly

Marina del Rey, California… One week after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) began accepting applications for new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), the application system is functioning without a hitch.

“I can state firmly that one week into the process, the application system for the new domain names is functioning just as it should,” said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This is a reflection of the careful planning, hard work and long hours our staff spent preparing for last week’s launch.”

At one minute past midnight (UTC) on Thursday, 12 January, ICANN began accepting applications for new generic Top-Level Domains, beginning one of the biggest changes in the Internet’s evolution.

The new program will greatly expand the current 22 Top-Level Domains (such as .com, .gov and .net) to include almost any word or name. It also allows, for the first time, non-Latin language scripts such as Arabic, Chinese and Cyrillic to be used in a gTLD.

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Michael Salazar, Director of the New gTLD program. “ICANN spent six years working to ensure it got this program right and we worked particularly hard to make certain the application portion of the program went smoothly.”

As of today (January 19), there are 25 successful registrants in the online TLD Application System. However, this number does not necessarily represent the total number of applications since each registrant can apply for up to 50 new generic Top-Level Domains.

The deadline to register in the TLD Application System is 29 March. If applicants are not registered in the system by that date, they will be unable to apply.

In early May, approximately two weeks after the new gTLD application window closes, ICANN will publish a list of the applications and who has applied for which domain name.

Until then, ICANN will not comment publicly about any specific application, the total number of applications received, or who has submitted applications.

Initial processing of the applications is expected to be completed in mid-November 2012 and the first new generic Top-Level Domains are expected to be online sometime in early 2013.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE NEW gTLD PROGRAM:

 *   Frequently Asked Questions: http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/customer-service/faqs/faqs-en
 *   Program overview:  http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/gtld-facts-31jul11-en.pdf
 *   Information for rights holders: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/rights-holders-with-insert-02sep11-en.pdf

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Brad White

Director of Global Media Affairs

Washington, D.C.

                                                Tel. +1 (202) 570 7118

brad.white at icann.org<mailto:brad.white at icann.org>



Andrew Robertson

Edelman Public Relations

London, U.K.

Tel. + 44 (7811) 341 945

andrew.Robertson at edelman.com<mailto:andrew.Robertson at edelman.com>

About ICANN: ICANN’s mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org/>.



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