A registry called New.net yesterday released 20 new top-level
domains such as .shop, .mp3 and .kids, which it hopes will rival
existing .com, .net and .org domains controlled by ICANN, the
technical co-ordination body of the internet.
New.net has developed software that makes these new domain names
work when entered into a browser, provided New.net's software is
supported at either the network level by partner ISPs or on
individual’s PCs.
The first 20 top-level domains being released are: .shop, .mp3,
.inc, .kids, .sport, .family, .chat, .video, .club, .hola, .soc,
.med, .law, .travel, .game, .free, .ltd, .gmbh, .tech and .xxx.
“New.net will dramatically broaden the scope
of available domain names,” said David Hernand, CEO of New.net.
“Our research has indicated a tremendous market demand to move
beyond .com and .net. We believe these new extensions will make it
far easier for companies and individuals to market their web sites
using more intuitive addresses and for internet users to navigate
the web.”
In November 2000, ICANN announced seven new top level domains,
namely: .biz, .name, .museum, .pro, .aero, .coop and .info. They
were due to become available early this year, but delays now seem
likely. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
manages servers that link domain names to the numerical Internet
Protocol addresses of computers connected to the internet. New.net
will manage its own network of servers.
The company was started last year with funding from Bill Gross
of idealab! in California, a large internet incubator. Its domain
names using the initial set of 20 extensions are available on a
first-come, first-served basis for a flat fee of $25 per year.
To protect children, the company will require those purchasing
domain names ending in .kids to offer web sites that contain
child-friendly content and comply with the US Children's Online
Privacy Protection Act, and it reserves the right to revoke names
that aren't used accordingly.
The company has entered into deals with some ISPs, including
EarthLink, Excite@Home, and NetZero, meaning that over 16 million
internet users will have access to the New.net domains from this
week. Other Web users can activate their internet browsers to
recognise the new domain names in a few seconds by visiting
www.new.net.
“We believe that New.net's new domains will
be particularly attractive to the international community, which
has been long-neglected by the existing naming system,” added
Hernand. “By adding .gmbh, .ltd and .soc, in addition to .inc, we
can provide a more sensible naming system for businesses in a wide
variety of countries. And by introducing the .hola extension, we
have a unique top-level domain that will appeal to the growing
population of Spanish-speaking Internet families in the U.S. and
around the world. In addition, New.net's technology will allow the
use of foreign-language characters in both the domain name and the
extension, unique among naming systems.”
Other companies have tried selling domain names under a system
that competes with ICANN’s and New.net will only succeed if it
finds sufficient ISPs and users to support it to convince people to
buy its names. RealNames, also of the US, markets common words as
an alternative to complete internet addresses. The user need only
enter a keyword in his or her Internet Explorer browser instead of
the “http://www.” prefix, although the system does not work with
Netscape Navigator browsers.
