Launch Date Set For .asia Domain

The Internet’s key oversight agency for domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, approved the “.asia” domain. DotAsia Organization Ltd., an organization made up of groups that run domain names for China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and other countries, will operate “.asia”. The organization has said it plans to restrict registrations to those in the region, which includes Australia. ICANN has defined 73 countries in the region which is listed below.

Any individual, business or organization based in Asia will now be able to apply for a website address ends with “.asia”

1. The Initial round, which starts on 9th October 2007,  is limited to governments desiring geographical names such as “india.asia” and those with trademarks applied before March 16, 2004, and actively in use.
2. The Second round will start on 13th November 2007 for the registrations of other trademarks and company names.
3. The Landrush period begins in February 2008, when the .asia domain will be opened to the general public. Premium prices will apply during this period.
4. The Go Live period starts on March 2008 when anyone meeting the DotAsia charter eligibility requirements may apply for any domain name on a first-come-first-served basis.

The detailed schedule can be found on DotAsia Organisation Launch Document.

The DotAsia Organisation, headquartered in Hong Kong, will receive all applications through authorized registrars. To discourage automated tools aimed at flooding the system on opening day, DotAsia will scrap the first-come, first-served model during the early registration period. Rather, all applications in a given round will be treated equally, with an auction held when two or more qualified applicants seek the same name. Fees are likely to vary depending on which registration company an applicant chooses to process the name on DotAsia’s behalf.