The world
of e-business should soon have a wider choice of top-level domain names (or
suffixes, ie .co.uk or .com) with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) approving seven of the 44 names put forward.
It may not
yet be enough to quench the thirst for new Internet names around the world, but
is a step in the direction.
The new domains
approved are:
·
.biz,
for businesses,
·
.pro,
for licensed professionals,
·
.info,
open to anyone,
·
.coop,
for co-operative businesses,
·
.name
for personal registrations,
·
.aero
for air transport-related organisations and groups,
·
.museum
for museums.
ICANN will
work until the end of the year to negotiate registry agreements with the
applicants selected.
These
negotiations are scheduled to finish by 31 December 2000. After this time, the
ICANN board will forward its recommendations to the US Department of Commerce
for implementation.
ICANN was
created two years ago by a coalition of the Internet’s business, technical,
academic and user communities. It is a non-profit-making organisation whose
aims include ensuring the operational stability of the Internet.
