MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — ICANN has set April 30 as its target date to release the list of applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLD), specifying who has applied for which domain names.
The new gTLD program is an initiative that will enable the introduction of new gTLDs (including both ASCII and IDN) into the domain name space.
"Our plan always has been to publish the list of applied-for strings approximately two weeks after the close of the April 12th application window," Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO of ICANN said in a statement.
He added, "Setting a target date gives people the opportunity to plan for this highly anticipated event."
The organization maintained that the new gTLDs will help promote competition in the domain name market while ensuring Internet security and stability.
Consumers will have more choices with the increased competition among registry service providers, according to ICANN. “Soon entrepreneurs, businesses, governments and communities around the world will be able to apply to operate a Top-Level Domain registry of their own choosing,” the organization stated in its FAQs about the initiative.
ICANN maintained that the increase in number of gTLDs is not expected to affect the way the Internet operates, but it will, for example, potentially change the way people find information on the Internet or how businesses plan and structure their online presence.
Although there is no measure on how many new domains are expected, Beckstrom noted that if ICANN receives an overwhelming number of applications to process, publication of the list of strings could be postponed.
For more information or to register a new gTLDs visit ICANN.org.