.bharti

Status:	Contract Signed
Registry Provider:	Afilias
Type:	Brand TLD
Priority #:	1142 - Bharti Enterprises
More information:

.bharti is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Bharti Enterprises (Holding) Private Limited.

Application Details

The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:

"About Bharti: Founded in 1976, by Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Enterprises (Holding) Private Limited (BEHPL) [popularly known as Bharti or Bharti Enterprises] has grown from being a manufacturer of bicycle parts to one of the largest and most respected business groups in India. With its entrepreneurial spirit and passion to undertake business projects that are transformational in nature, Bharti has created world-class businesses in telecom, financial services, retail and foods. Bharti started its telecom services business by launching mobile services in Delhi (India) in 1995. Since then there has been no looking back and Bharti Airtel, the group’s flagship company, has emerged as one of top telecom companies in the world and is amongst the top five wireless operators in the world. Through its global telecom operations Bharti group operates under the ‘Airtel’ brand in 19 countries across Asia and Africa– India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Seychelles, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In addition, the group also has mobile operations in Jersey, Guernsey. Over the past few years, the group has diversified into emerging business areas in the fast expanding Indian economy. With a vision to build India’s finest conglomerate by 2020 the group has forayed into the retail sector by opening retail stores in multiple formats – small and medium - as well as establishing large scale cash and carry stores to serve institutional customers and other retailers. The group offers a complete portfolio of financial services – life insurance, general insurance and asset management – to customers across India. Bharti also serves customers through its fresh and processed foods business. The group has growing interests in other areas such as telecom software, real estate, training and capacity building, and distribution of telecom⁄IT products. What sets Bharti apart from the rest is its ability to forge strong partnerships. Over the years some of biggest names in international business have partnered with Bharti. Currently Singtel, IBM, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent are our key partners in telecom. Walmart is Bharti’s partner for its cash and carry venture. Axa Group is the partner for the financial service business and Del Monte Pacific for the processed foods division. Bharti strongly believes in giving back to the society and through its philanthropic arm the Bharti Foundation it is reaching out to over 30,000 underprivileged children and youth in India.

Bharti will be using .bharti exclusively for its group companies and products, services, campaigns, partners and customers of its group companies. It is being estimated that in the first year after .bharti is allotted to Bharti group, around 62 second-level domains will be registered; in the second- year around 86 second-level domains will be live; in the third-year around 110 second-level domains will be live. In the first-year, priority will be provided to the existing domains of Bharti group. Combination of transactional and information web sites will be brought under the new gTLD of BHARTI GROUP. In the subsequent years, other existing domains and new domains of BHARTI GROUP and its subsidiaries will also be brought under the new gTLD of BHARTI GROUP."

Contract Signed

On 09 January 2014 Bharti Enterprises received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .bharti after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.