The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) voted on Monday in favor of introducing new top-level domains (TLDs), offering new domain extensions that will compete with the current .com, .net, .org, domains and country codes such as .ca and .mx.
With the announcement of this Internet barrier being lifted, the ICANN hopes to remove the frustration of choosing unique and ideal domain names for websites. With the ability to designate a .brand TLD, marketers will be able to establish a domain that is relative to their product or promotion.
On a more global note, new developments within TLDs will allow for these to be established in languages other than English. Countries worldwide can now have their domains reflect their language, offering a more unique and relevant online presence.
Although the announcement of these recent developments do offer many benefits to brands and countries, there are a few immediate red flags that appear. The price tag carries substantial weight, at $185,000 application fee, with additional fees tacked on later on; even more, brands that have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid other brands from using their current domains are now concerned with the possibility of an increase in these costs once new domains are established.
While the introduction announces new TLDs will be developed immediately, the application process will be very time-consuming. Because there are so many intricate stages to the process, including development, technical support, and ICANN approval, it is not expected these will appear in search results until early 2013.
