Another in-person ICANN meeting has bitten the dust with the coordinator of the internet’s naming system announcing last week ICANN71 will be held as a Virtual Public Meeting due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICANN71 Policy Forum was scheduled to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, from 14-17 June 2021 and will be the fifth ICANN meeting in a row to be held virtually.
ICANN Monday announced that Baher Esmat has been appointed Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) office in Istanbul, Turkey. He is replacing Nick Tomasso who has served as Managing Director for MEA since 2017 in addition to his role as Vice President, Global Meeting Operations, in which he will continue to serve.
Saudi Arabia is moving from the current allocation of domain names directly from the registry to the more common registry/registrar model.
The change was announced in February when the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) updated the ‘Saudi Domain Name Registration Regulation’ which is described as one of the most efficient practices in the domain name industry.
Continue reading Registrars Can Now Apply For Accreditation To Offer .SA Domain Names [updated]
ICANN announced its Middle East DNS Forum (MEDNSF) from 24-25 March this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hosted by the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC).
There are billions of Internet users of different cultures, languages, economic strata, and education levels. Much of ICANN‘s work, such as helping mitigate DNS abuse, or raising awareness about Internationalized Domains and Universal Acceptance, is towards protecting these users, and creating an environment that is welcoming for the next billion users. It is also an ICANN focus area to encourage participation, representation, and engagement from people all around the world, for whom access to one global Internet has much to offer.
The Forum features presentations and panel discussions on topics ranging from DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), and the policy discussions on developments on the DNS ecosystem, as well as the benefits of using the Arabic script on the Internet.
ICANN‘s Chief Technology Officer David Conrad will give a keynote on the DNS of Tomorrow discussing the current DNS landscape and ecosystem, emerging standards and challenges including the DNS Over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), and other technologies such as the Internet of Things, 5G, and Smart Cities, and how they impact ICANN‘s work.
To register and view the full agenda, please click here. Remote participation will be available. For more information or inquiries, please contact meac.swg@icann.org.
ICANN‘s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address â a name or a number â into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.
This ICANN announcement was sourced from: https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2020-01-27-en
ICANN is organizing the fifth edition of the Middle East DNS Forum. The event, hosted by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Turkey (ICTA), will take place on 25 and 26 April in Ankara, Turkey.
The Middle East DNS Forum brings together field experts and affected parties to discuss the latest developments in the global domain marketplace and ways to strengthen the DNS industry in the Middle East. Internationalized Domain Names, EU General Data Protection Regulation, Universal Acceptance and the Root Zone Key Signing Key (KSK) are among this year’s key discussion topics.
The DNS forum offers participants opportunities to:
ICANN is pleased to hold this year’s Middle East DNS Forum in Turkey. This country has demonstrated increasing interest and participation in ICANN over the past few years, especially during the recent Turkey DNS Forums.
ICTA was established to constitute a competitive telecommunication sector in Turkey. The Authority oversees tasks on sectoral competition, information technologies, and technical regulations. ICTA has previously supported the Turkey DNS Forums.
Information is available on the forum’s website.
You can register for the event here.
Remote participation will be available. The link will be provided as the event approaches.
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2018-04-09-en
[news release] ICANN announces the publication of the final report [PDF, 8.38 MB] on the Domain Name System (DNS) for the Middle East and Adjoining Countries (MEAC). “Middle East DNS Study” was completed after receiving feedback on the initial draft, which was published before the ICANN54 meeting in Dublin.
The report will be discussed at ICANN55 at the DNS Industry in the Middle East session on Tuesday, 8 March, from 16:30â18:00 (WET).
The report presents findings on the current state of the Internet and the domain name industry in the MEAC region, including:
ICANN selected a consortium led by the .eu Registry (EURid), with support from Emily Taylor Internet Research, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property and Oxford Information Labs, to conduct the DNS study.
The report, based on qualitative and quantitative data gathered in 2015, draws on relevant benchmarks and best practices developed in the global ccTLD environment. The data presented in this report was gathered from a variety of sources, including a specially commissioned multi-country user survey, direct contact with ccTLD registries and registrars, and extensive data analysis of the gTLD open zone files.
Final “Middle East DNS Study” [PDF, 8.38 MB].
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ICANN‘s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you have to type an address into your computer – a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet’s naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.
This ICANN news release was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-02-26-en
ICANN is seeking feedback on the initial draft study [PDF, 5.42 MB] on the Domain Name System (DNS) for the Middle East and Adjoining Countries (MEAC Region), which was commissioned in June 2015.
The study aims to analyze the domain name industry ecosystem in the Middle East and Adjoining Countries region (which includes the 22 Arab states, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), and develop recommendations on how to advance the industry and support market growth.
A consortium led by EURid, with support from Emily Taylor Internet Research, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property and Oxford Information Labs, is conducting the DNS study for ICANN.
The study examines the domain name industry within the wider context of the region’s Internet development, Internet usage patterns and user preferences, the region’s hosting industry and the importance of local language content. It then draws on relevant benchmarks and best practices, developed within the global ccTLD environment, and leads to some suggested actions that may stimulate wider uptake.
This initial report contains the results of a structured survey of ccTLD registries in the region, supplemented by interviews with registries and registrars. Additionally, it measures the region’s domain names from a variety of sources, including contacts with ccTLD managers and an automated analysis of 150 million domains from open gTLD zone files.
This initiative is a direct product of the ICANN Middle East Engagement Strategy. The draft is now open for comments until 30 October 2015. Please send all comments to meswg@icann.org.
The initial report will be discussed during a special session during ICANN54 in Dublin, on Tuesday October 20 at 16.15 â 17.30 UTC at Wicklow Hall 1. More information can be found here.
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-10-14-en
ICANN is seeking a provider to conduct a study on the domain name industry in the Middle East and Adjoining Countries (“MEAC Region”)1. The goal of this study is to identify and define the strengths and weaknesses in the industry ecosystem within the region, and develop recommendations on how to advance the industry and bring it closer to the opportunities available.
The recommendation to conduct this study is one of the outcomes of the ICANN Middle East Engagement Strategy, developed by a group of community members in the region2. The Strategy defined three strategic focus areas for the region one of which was to further develop the domain name industry.
The study at a minimum will investigate the current state of the Internet and the domain name industry in the region, define best practices that have made an impact in domain name market growth, look at the broader ecosystem of the Internet infrastructure and online services and describe the impact of such elements on the overall evolution of the domain name industry, describe the business potential in the domain name industry in this region, and provide suggestions on how to develop the industry and what business models can be adopted in the entire industry chain. The study will include data, analysis, and recommendations.
The final report of the study is to be delivered no later than 9th October 2015.
For additional information and instructions for submitting responses please click here [ZIP, 409 KB].
Proposals should be submitted to MEDNSStudy-rfp@icann.org by 23:59 UTC on 6 April 2015.
1 The MEAC region consists of the 22 Arab States in addition to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey.
2 This wiki space provides more details about the Strategy. Key documents include the Strategy Document [PDF, 1.5 MB], the Year 1 Implementation Plan [PDF, 88.8 KB], and the Year 2 Implementation Plan [PDF, 28.7 KB].
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-03-16-en
This is the second edition of the Middle East DNS Forum (ME DNS), which aims to build on the inaugural forum that took place in Dubai, early 2014.
The ME DNS Forum is being hosted by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and is co-organized by both ICANN and The Internet Society (ISOC). The 2-day event will cover topics on ccTLDs, new gTLDs, IDNs, the Domain Name Industry in underserved regions, as well as provide a brief and update on the IANA Stewardship Transition. This year’s agenda was developed by a Program Committee consisting of 6 community members with expertise in various fields of the domain name industry. More on the forum can be found at amman2015.mednsf.org/en/.
This Forum aims to be the regional networking place for the DNS industry’s key players.
Who should attend: Registries, registrars, registrants, ccTLDs, new gTLD applicants, service providers, brand owners, and legal firms
Purpose: To build bridges between interested parties in the region and world’s experts in the field; by sharing experiences and best practices in the domain name industry at a global level, and of the emerging business opportunities.
| Monday March 9, 2015 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00-9:00 | Registration |
| 9:00-10:30 | Opening Session â Keynote Address |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00-12:30 | The Internet Industry in the ME region and the Untapped Business Opportunities Available |
| 12:30-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:30 | New gTLDs: Experiences, and the Way Forward |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:00-17:30 | Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) â Lack of Utilization and the Hidden Potential |
| 17:30-20.00 | Networking Dinner |
| Tuesday March 10, 2015 | |
| 8:00-9:00 | Registration |
| 9:00-10:30 | ccTLDs and gTLDs: Coexisting in a New Environment |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00-12:30 | Supporting the Domain Name Industry in Underserved Regions |
| 12:30-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:30 | The IANA Stewardship Transition â What is in it for you? |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:00-17:00 | Breakout Sessions (Policy | Technical | Business) |
| 17:00-17.30 | Wrap-up and Closing |
The first edition of the forum took place in Dubai, UAE and attracted around 125 participants from more than 30 countries. More on the forum can be found online at http://mednsf.org/en/.
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-02-16-en
[news release] ICANN signed today (10/2) with the European Registry for Internet Domains (EURid), manager of the .eu TLD, a Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of collaborating together on developing local expertise in DNS technical, policy, and business areas in Africa and the Middle East.
This partnership works to further support ICANNâs Africa and Middle East strategies to facilitate the domain names sectorâs growth in both Africa and the Middle East and strategically position both regions for future business and national success.
The MoU crystalises the efforts being done by both entities and recognises the need to implement the below, in order to further strengthen and develop the DNS sector in Africa and the Middle East.
This EURid news release was sourced from:
www.eurid.eu/en/news/feb-2015/icann-signs-mou-eurid-develop-local-expertise-domain-names-system-dns-sector-africa