.Asia Internet Domain Name Launched

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 10, 2007 — -- The new Internet domain .asia is now available for governments and companies to register, with those looking to expand their business in the region snapping up www.name.asia addresses.

The general public will be able to register, as part of the landrush, starting in February 2008.

"More than 350 companies have already applied for the .asia domain including Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Amazon, the Economist and T-Mobile," said Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia Organization, a membership-based, not-for-profit group that is setting up the new domain under the oversight of ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Efforts to launch the .asia domain began in 2000.

DotAsia's vision for the new domain is "from Asia, for Asia" with the goal to create a globally visible and unified domain with relevant content for Internet users around the world. Geographical scope and governance of the .asia registry follows that of ICANN, with sponsor members from New Zealand to the Middle East all with country code domains.

"Today, there are already 400 million Internet users in Asia accounting for only 10 percent of the region's total population. With a rapidly growing Asian economy, we believe that the introduction of .asia will help fuel the continued growth of the Internet in the region and drive more opportunity for both business and individuals," Chung said in a statement. ".asia is prime Internet real estate that no business or individual should miss out on."

The main targets of .asia are regional companies in Asia, local companies expanding in the region, Asia headquarters of multinationals, Asia based events, Asian versions of global or regional media, and Asian focused businesses.

A domain can be registered from anywhere in the world, generally on a first-come, first-served basis. If more than one group wants a given domain, .asia will review application proposals and work with Deloitte as a verification agent. The best proposal -- with commitments to marketing and actual use of the domain -- wins. Chung hopes this will help avoid a rushed process, deter infringement and help companies protect their names and brands.