If it seems to you that the internet already has too many different domain suffixes, the choice may soon become even greater.
The ICANN organization, which coordinates the Internet domain system, has closed the new round of applications, with more than 1.600 requests for top-level domains.
The list includes terms from the worlds of business and technology, but also some rather unusual proposals, such as .hype, .token, .agent, .agi, .therapy and .tea. ICANN has not yet published the full list, and the first results are not expected to be announced for at least nine weeks after the applications close.
This means that we will have to wait a little longer for final decisions, but it is already clear that the internet is moving further and further away from the time when .com, .org and .net almost completely dominated the online space.
$227 is required for a domain.
Today’s system is the result of a major expansion that began in 2012. At that time, ICANN received about 1.900 applications, of which about 1.200 were ultimately approved.
Among them were domains for companies, such as .microsoft, geographic extensions such as .africa, and specialized domains such as .bank.
The new round of applications took place just this year, after a break of several years. Interest is clearly high, despite the fact that applying for a domain costs up to $227, while the price can be even higher in more complicated or high-risk cases.
One company that has spoken openly about its plans is Link Freedom Group, which has submitted a total of 316 applications. Among its proposals are .slop, .token, .agent, and .agi.
The Internet is getting another domain that won’t be visible online
The expansion of the domain system is not only related to public internet addresses. ICANN announced in early 2024 the creation of a special .internal zone, intended for internal networks.
The idea is that companies and network equipment manufacturers will no longer need to use local IP addresses, such as 192.168.xx, for some internal needs. These domains will not function like regular public Internet addresses.
As for the more than 1.600 new proposals, their fate will be known only after administrative checks and other procedures that ICANN must carry out.
Thus, the internet may soon experience another big wave of new domains, but at the moment it is still unknown which of them will actually end up in use. (Telegraph)