.abudhabi
| Status: | Delegated |
| Country: | Abu Dhabi |
| Registry Provider: | Telecommunications Regulatory Authority UAE |
| Type: | GeoTLD |
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.abudhabi is a geographical TLD delegated to the Root Zone in ICANN's New gTLD Program on 6 April 2016.[1] It was proposed by the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre of the Government of Abu Dhabi to promote and provide an online brand for the businesses, culture, people, organizations and religious groups in Abudabhi. The government also believes that the implementation of the TLD will boost the position of the country as a leading international economic and knowledge hub. If approved by ICANN, the registration of domain names under the .abudhabi domain space will be restricted to all agencies registered with the Abudhabi Government. Its back-end registry services will be provided by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority UAE (TRA).[2]
Application Details[edit | edit source]
The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:
"The mission⁄purpose of the .abudhabi TLD is to promote the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi), including its residents, culture, events, commerce, institutions and landmarks, through the establishment of a dedicated, authoritative online space for the exclusive use of organizations registered in Abu Dhabi and entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will therefore reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading international knowledge and economic hub.
The .abudhabi TLD will establish a distinct, easily-identifiable online brand which reflects the religious and cultural philosophy informing Abu Dhabi and its people. It will supplement existing means of communication for government-affiliated entities and organizations registered in Abu Dhabi, promoting Abu Dhabi through creating official and authoritative channels for online communication and exchange. This function of the TLD is consistent with Abu Dhabi’s standing as a global leader in innovation and development, ensuring Abu Dhabi’s online presence is capable of fulfilling the future needs of a growing population within the Internet landscape.
The applicant, the Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC), employs information and communication technologies to make services available using multiple channels for those who live and do business in Abu Dhabi, in line with its vision of making the Abu Dhabi Government more effective and efficient in delivering modern services. ADSIC is considered as the governmental party that owns the IT agenda of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and has the authority to practice the following competences:
- Supervise the implementation of the e-Government program in Abu Dhabi Government entities (ADGEs).
- Sponsor initiatives and mature assets and competencies that it deems of critical importance for the e-Government project.
- Propose policies and technology standards for government and relevant entities to achieve a comprehensive quality in reaching the highest levels of efficiency, confidentiality, and safety in the e-Government project.
- Issue rules and guidelines regarding the implementation of IT policies and the technical specifications, and communicate them to all the Government entities.
- Submit the guidelines to the Council regarding the IT sector and the e-Government.
The mandate translates into the mission of government modernisation at large:
- Performance improvement
- Process simplification
- Use of IT
ADSIC works in collaboration with all government departments and entities under the government umbrella in Abu Dhabi. The strategic importance of representing the ADSIC vision stems from its ultimate goal to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading intelligence and economic hub. As such, the operation of the .abudhabi TLD as the authoritative online space for promoting and marketing Abu Dhabi is within the scope of ADSIC’s functions.
The registration of .abudhabi domain names will be restricted to entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi and organizations registered in Abu Dhabi. This restriction is in recognition of the role that these entities fulfil as chief advocates for promoting Abu Dhabi for the benefit of all residents of Abu Dhabi, and further facilitates the establishment of official and authoritative channels of online communication."[3]