.mobi

country:	International
Manager:	mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd., a fully-owned subsidiary of Afilias
Registry Provider:	mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd.
Date Implemented:	2005 - 2006
Type:	sTLD
More information:

.mobi is a sponsored top level domain used for websites optimized for access by mobile devices, such as smartphones. ICANN entered into negotiations with the applicant, dotMobi, in 2004; the extension was approved in 2005, and it began resolving as a usable extension in 2006. The extension was originally approved by the ICANN Board at ICANN 23 in Luxembourg.

The applicant, and current manager, dotMobi was originally founded through investments by and participation from major companies involved in mobile technology and communication, including: Hutchison 3, GSM Association, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Telefonica Moviles, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Google. The company was originally known as Mobi JV.

Afilias

Afilias was an early partner in the bid and delegation for .mobi. They originally were provided registry services to the dotMobi company. In February, 2010, Afilias acquired all issued and outstanding stock in the company and mTLD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Afilias.

Advisors

Given that .mobi is a sponsored top level domain, it is tied to two advisory boards that are charged with representing the sponsoring community to mTLD and Afilias, they are the dotMobi Policy Advisory Board (PAB) and the .mobi Advisory Group (MAG). These bodies include representation of the 14 original founders of dotMobi (Mobi JV).

Opposition

The idea of a entire TLD dedicated to the mobile market was met by criticism and skepticism by some, including Tim Berners-Lee, a prominent developer of the modern Internet.

Top-Level Domain