The first internet addresses consisting entirely of non-Latin characters are imminent
following approval of the new Internationalized Domain Name Fast Track Process
by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board.
"The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest
technical change to the internet since it was created four decades ago,"
declared ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush.
"Right now internet address endings are limited to Latin characters –
A to Z. But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000
characters of the languages of the world online for domain names," he explained.
ICANN's Fast Track Process launches on November 16, 2009. It will allow nations
and territories to apply for internet extensions reflecting their name –
and made up of characters from their national language.
"This is only the first step, but it is an incredibly big one and an historic
move toward the internationalization of the internet," noted Rod Beckstrom,
ICANN's President and CEO.
"The first countries that participate will not only be providing valuable
information of the operation of IDNs (International Domain Names) in the domain
name system, they are also going to help to bring the first of billions more
people online – people who never use Roman characters in their daily lives,"
Beckstrom added.
According to ICANN, it has taken "years of intense technical testing,
policy development, and global co-operation" to prepare the Fast Track
process for its coming launch.
"Our work on IDNs has gone through numerous drafts, dozens of tests, and
an incredible amount of development by volunteers since we started this project.
Today is the first step in moving from planning and implementation to the real
launch," announced Tina Dam, ICANN's Senior Director for IDNs.
"The launch of the Fast Track Process will be an amazing change to make
the internet an even more valuable tool, and for even more people around the
globe," she concluded.
OFFSHORE-E-COM.COM
