Internationalized country code top-level domain
In the Internet Domain Name System, an internationalized country code top-level domain or IDN ccTLD is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) that employs a non Latin alphabet, such as Arabic or Cyrillic. As of May 2010[update] there are four such TLDs: مصر., السعودية. and امارات. (for Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates respectively), and .рф (for Russia).
Although the word code is used, some of these ccTLDs are not really codes but full words. For example السعودية (as-sa'ūdiyyah) is not an abbreviation of Saudi Arabia, but the full name of the country in Arabic.
Countries having internationalized ccTLDs have two ccTLDs, one in ASCII and the other internationalized. For example Egypt has the .eg country code which may host sites in Arabic or any other language. The مصر. country code on the other hand is intended for Arabic sites. مصر. is equivalent to .xn--wgbh1c (see Punycode) but there is no equivalence with .eg.
History
The ICANN board approved the establishment of an internationalized top-level domain name working group within the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) in December 2006.[1] They resolved in June 2007 inter alia to proceed and asked the IDNC Working Group to prepare a proposal, which the group delivered in June 2008, "to recommend mechanisms to introduce a limited number of non-contentious IDN ccTLDs, associated with the ISO 3166-1 two-letter codes in a short time frame to meet near term demand." The group proposed a methodology using ICANN's Fast Track Process[2] based on the ICANN charter to work with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA):
- Identify technical basis of the TLD strings and country code specific processes, select IDN ccTLD personnel and authorities, and prepare documentation;
- Perform ICANN due diligence process for technical proposal and publish method;
- Enter delegation process within established IANA procedures.
In October 2009, ICANN resolved to start accepting applications for top-level internationalized domain names from representatives of countries and territories in November.[3] Starting November 16, 2009, nations and territories could apply for IDN ccTLDs.[4] Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Russian Federation were among the first countries to apply for the new internationalized domain name country code top-level domains. In January 2010 ICANN announced that these countries' IDN ccTLDs were the first four new IDN ccTLDs to have passed the Fast Track String Evaluation within the domain application process.[5] As of May 2010, 21 different countries representing 11 languages, including Chinese, Russian, Tamil, and Thai, had requested new IDN country codes.[6]
On May 5, 2010, the first implementations, all in the Arabic alphabet, were activated.[7] Egypt was assigned the مصر. country code, Saudi Arabia السعودية., and the United Arab Emirates امارات., (all reading right to left as is customary in Arabic).[7][6] ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom described the launch as "historic" and "a seismic shift that will forever change the online landscape."[8] "This is the beginning of a transition that will make the Internet more accessible and user friendly to millions around the globe, regardless of where they live or what language they speak," he added.[8] Senior director for internationalised domain names Tina Dam said it was "the most significant day" since the launch of the Internet.[6] According to ICANN, Arabic was chosen for the initial roll out because it is one of the most widely used non-Latin languages on the Internet.[8]
The new country codes were available for immediate use, although ICANN admit they may not work properly for all users initially.[6] According to Egypt's communication and information technology minister, three Egyptian companies were the first to receive domain licenses on the new "masr" [مصر transliterated] country code.[6] Egypt's Ministry of Communications was possibly the first functional website with an entirely Arabic address.[6] The ccTLD .рф for Russia launched on May 13. Bulgaria's .бг is still pending.
Future internationalized country codes
For a list of current internationalized country codes see List of Internet top-level domains.
The following ccTLDs have been requested using a procedure known as IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process.[9]
| IDN ccTLD | Country | ASCII form | Transliteration | Current ccTLD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .中国 |  China |
.xn--fiqs8S | Zhōngguó | .cn |
| .中國 | China |
.xn--fiqz9S | Zhōngguó | .cn |
| .香港 |  Hong Kong |
.xn--j6w193g | Hong Kong | .hk |
| الاردن. |  Jordan |
.xn--mgbayh7gpa | Al-Ordon | .jo |
| فلسطين. |  Palestine |
.xn--ygbi2ammx | Filasṭīn | .ps |
| قطر. |  Qatar |
.xn--wgbl6a | Qatar | .qa |
| .ලංකා |  Sri Lanka |
.xn--fzc2c9e2c | Lanka | .lk |
| .இலங்கை | Sri Lanka |
.xn--xkc2al3hye2a | Ilangai | .lk |
| .台灣 |  Taiwan |
.xn--kpry57d | Taiwan | .tw |
| .台湾 | Taiwan |
.xn--kprw13d | Taiwan | .tw |
| .ไทย |  Thailand |
.xn--o3cw4h | Thai | .th |
| تونس. |  Tunisia |
.xn--pgbs0dh | Tunis | .tn |
See also
References
- ^ "Proposed Final Implementation Plan for IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process" (PDF). ICANN. September 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ "IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process". ICANN.
- ^ "ICANN Bringing the Languages of the World to the Global Internet" (Press release). Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). 30 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
- ^ "Internet addresses set for change". BBC News. October 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ "First IDN ccTLDs Requests Successfully Pass String Evaluation". ICANN. 2010-01-21.
- ^ a b c d e f "'Historic' day as first non-Latin web addresses go live". BBC News. May 6, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ a b "First IDN ccTLDs now available" (Press release). Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). May 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ a b c "The internet gets international with the arrival of non-Latin Domain Names". The Independent. Relaxnews. May 7, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ IDN ccTLD Fast Track String Evaluation Completion, ICANN