New gTLD Resources
The creation of new gTLDs has been on ICANN's agenda since the creation of the organization. In 2000, ICANN created 7 new gTLDs to add to the root zone[1] in addition to the original 7 TLDs. ICANN later added another 8 Sponsored Top Level Domains (sTLDs) between 2005 and 2011. In June, 2011, at the ICANN 41 meeting in Singapore, the ICANN Board approved a new gTLD program that would allow any entity to apply for and manage their own name space.
The industry had been preparing for the opening of a new gTLD program for a number of years, and following the approval the program in Singapore, a whole new gTLD services industry was launched. A list detailing a number of entities involved in the new gTLD consultation, management, and other related services follows.
Registries[edit | edit source]
Most registries are breaking down their services depending on the intended audience of the new extension. This includes services targeted for: Brand gTLDs, Niche or Community gTLDs, GeoTLDs, and more broadly generic extensions.
Verisign[edit | edit source]
Verisign is the world's largest domain name registry,[2] it has provided the technical back end for the .com name space since 2000.[3]
Neustar[edit | edit source]
Neustar makes the unique claim that they have launched more gTLDs than any other registry in the world.[4]
Afilias[edit | edit source]
Afilias claims to have more registrations from the last round of new gTLDs than all other registries combined.[5] It is the current registry operator of .info and .mobi; the former is often considered the most successfully launched TLD since .com.[6] They also provide the technical back-end for a number of ccTLDs.[7]