Goldstein Report

Tag: UAE

  • .AE Celebrates 100,000 Registrations As Leading ccTLD In Arab Region

    The ccTLD for the United Arab Emirates, .AE, passed the 100,000 registrations milestone on 16 August, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the UAE announced. This achievement makes the UAE the leading nation in terms of the number of registrants in the Arab region.

    Commenting on the achievement, H.E. Mohammed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General said: “The UAE continues its accomplishments and promotes its regional status in the ICT sector with today’s announcement on reaching the 100,000 registration mark in domain names. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the TRA in implementation of leadership directives that support modern technological trends and the adoption of the latest development reached in the sector.”

    H.E. added: “We have presented all the required facilities aiming to make the (.ae) registration process easier and convenient to all clients, including providing 18 Accredited Registrars to complete the process, and the 100% availability of (.ae) DNS and registry services to promote competition. We also adopted well designed policies to use domain names in the country, protect registrants and achieve the widest level of participation by concerned parties through organizing a number of awareness campaigns on (.ae) domain names. We, at the TRA, are determined to continue our support to the internet society in the country for further achievements.”

    The UAE was able to achieve this number through the support extended by businesses and individuals on domain names, despite the comparatively short period since the registration had started. The TRA aims to reach the highest levels of transparency in terms of resolving disputes related to domain names; it is also keen to protect intellectual property.

    Other vital elements that contributed to this achievement were offers and promotions were made by registrars helping to encourage larger numbers of registrants to take this step. Additionally, the enthusiasm by registrants to complete the registration process successfully by utilizing the online facility. The registrars explained the benefits of obtaining a domain name and underscored the fact that a specialized domain name allows registrants to better reach their targeted audience in a more professional manner. Registrar: InterNetX GmbH – International Registrar said: As the United Arab Emirates form one of the most important markets worldwide, .AE holds an important position in our TLD portfolio.

  • TRA launches phase to register special domain names

    Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) is pleased to announce the opening of registration in the Arabic domain name (DotEmarat) for special names. The registration will be open from 4th of September until the 3rd of October, and it can be done through accredited registrars.  In-line with its objective to promote the usage of Arabic language in e-addresses, and in a step that reflects its endeavour to continue its initiative related to domain names (DotEmarat), the registration launch for special names follows the approval obtained from ICANN in January 2010.

    Commenting on the registration, H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General said: “Since we acquired approval from ICANN regarding the domain (DotEmarat), we have set a timeline for ourselves to promote this domain name across all sectors. We started with the governmental sector, then with trademarks, and now we have come to the special names phase, which demonstrate that we are on target with our plan, and we are achieving rapid progress in this regard.”

    “The registration will enable users to seize the opportunity of booking their own domain name, as the availability for names is still vast. The Arabic domain name indeed provides ease in memorizing, writing, and circulating the names in Arabic, in addition to its distinct look on the browser when written in Arabic,” he added.

    This registration will provide users with a wide range of options, and a portal that will allow users who surf the net, especially the ones who are not familiar with English, to find domains easily. The names that will be registered can be simple and direct such as: Hotels Dot Emarat, Autos Dot Emarat, Search Dot Emarat, Shopping Dot Emarat, Sports Dot Emarat, etc. Individuals who are interested in registering their domain names can visit the Arabic link (عربي.امارات ).

    Al Ghanim further noted: “One of the main objectives sought by TRA through promoting and deploying the domain name (DotEmarat), is to reach to a wide spectrum of users of this domain, and to allow Arabic speakers to achieve the maximum benefit from the internet, its diverse channels and enormous capabilities, by providing a bridge that allows them to cross language barriers that used to be an obstacle to them.”

    The Arabic domain name (DotEmarat) is an unprecedented achievement on the regional level that makes the UAE one of four countries in the world to launch a domain name in its national language following the approval of ICANN. Notably, the TRA had recently completed the two registration stages for the governmental sector and trademarks for the Arabic domain (DotEmarat).

    This TRA announcement was sourced from:
    tra.gov.ae/news_TRA_launches_phase_to_register_special_domain_names-331-1.php

  • Registration Of dotEmarat For Trademark Holders Closes Today

    The registration of dotEmarat (امارات.) domain names for trademark holders closes today, 31 May 2011.

    The internationalised domain names are viewed to be of great importance for internet users in the United Arab Emirates, as well as trademark holders, who were disadvantaged or excluded due to language barriers with the Latin characters.

    The UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) launched the initiative of the Arabic domain (امارات.). The launch represented the beginning of a new internet era, and the beginning of the UAE journey towards the optimal use to online Arabic content.

    “In accordance with the objectives of the dotEmarat (امارات.) domain initiative in developing and marketing the domain names, educating the audience and promoting the domain, the TRA has opened earlier the Registration in the dotEmarat (امارات.) domain for trademark owners, taking into consideration the commercial benefits it offers regarding promoting the relationship between the trademark owners and their clients,” said H.E. Mr. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General.

    “Also, dotEmarat (امارات.) can be used in commercial campaigns targeting the Arabic user, especially since the new Arabic top-level domain name is currently a broad market incorporating an assortment of unique names that fits the activities offered by every company, unlike the cliché top-level domain names where obtaining a new name has become close to impossible.’ He added.

    Ownership of (dotEmarat) domains will secure intellectual property rights related to the Trademark, and it will prevent any legal disputes that may arise at a later stage. Disputes can run for long times, cost huge losses and harm the reputation a trademark, which are things that the TRA is keen to prevent the trademark owners from experiencing, in order to ensure a smooth and seamless business processes for those trademarks within the cyber space which the TRA is providing.

  • dotEmarat Sunrise Period Commences 17 October

    The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced the opening of Sunrise Period for the Arabic top-level domain name (dotEmarat) for trademarks. The application process will last for two months starting from 17 October until 15 December, 2010. The application process will be available through TRA accredited registrars.

    The Arabic top-level domain name opens new doors for trademarks to communicate with a wide user segment that was reluctant to use the Internet because of the language barrier. It establishes a communication bridge through which businesses can deliver their messages and offer their services for that particular segment. Companies can use the Arabic domain name in advertisement campaigns that specifically target Arab audience. (dotEmarat) is still a spacious and wide market where companies can reserve distinct domain names that completely reflect their services and activities, unlike the familiar domain names where it is difficult to find suitable names.

    “The Arabic top-level domain (dotEmarat) presents a unique opportunity for companies looking to expand its customer base. Ownership of such domains will secure intellectual property rights related to the name and opens vast opportunities for more companies to take advantage of the Arabic names for their brands,” said H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General.

    “The volume of Arabic content on the Internet is huge, but inability to write domain addresses in Arabic alphabets constituted a barrier for a large segment of Arab users. This was the main driver that sparked the adoption of the idea to present Arabic top-level domain names,” he added.

    Another advantage of the domain name (dotEmarat) is eliminating the need of transliterating Arabic words in English alphabets. Additionally, users of (dotEmarat) can easily type Arabic names in full and without substituting some of the Arabic letters that cannot be pronounced correctly with numbers. Thus, TRA was keen to create an online environment where users can count entirely on Arabic without using Latin letters.

    Comprehensive information about the Arabic top-level domain name (dotEmarat) is available at: policy.aeda.ae

    Europe Registry logoTo register your .AE or .EMARAT domain names, check out Europe Registry here.

  • Domain Names Now Available in Non-Latin Characters

    Complete domain names can be registered in non-Latin characters for the first time as of May 5 with three Arab nations the first to have internationalised domain names (IDNs) placed in the DNS root zone, ICANN announced.The three new top level domains (TLDs) are:

    • Egypt: مصر (Egypt)
    • Saudi Arabia: السعودية (AlSaudiah)
    • United Arab Emirates: امارات (Emarat).

    “All three are Arabic script domains, and will enable domain names written fully right-to-left,” said Kim Davies, Root Zone Services Manager of ICANN.One of the first websites operational as a result of the introduction of IDNs was for the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology whose domain name is وزارة-الأتصالات.مصر“If your software does not have full IDN support, this might not work exactly as expected,” Davies wrote on the ICANN blog. “You may see a mangled string of letters and numbers, and perhaps some percent signs or a couple of “xn--“s mixed into the address bar. Or it may not work at all.”These are the first IDN ccTLDs to appear online as a result of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process which was approved by the ICANN Board at its annual meeting in Seoul, South Korea on 30 October 2009.To date ICANN has received a total of 21 requests for IDN ccTLD(s) representing 11 languages including Chinese, Russian, Tamil and Thai. A total of 13 requests have successfully passed through the “String Evaluation” (the second stage of the process) and are hence ready for the requesting country or territory to initiate the request for TLD Delegation (the final stage of the application process). As of today, the first three of these have been delegated into the DNS root zone, which means they are available for use.More than 20 countries have applied for an IDN ccTLD. For a list of those IDN ccTLDs to have passed the fast track string evaluation, see icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/string-evaluation-completion-en.htm.Arabic has now become the first non-Latin script to be used as an IDN ccTLD. Arabic is among the most highly used languages on the Internet today. The Middle-East has an average Internet penetration of just over 20%, and shows a big potential for growth. Users in the region will now have easier access to the Internet, with the ability to use their primary language for the entire domain name.

  • ICANN Gives Final Approval for Four Countries to Use Non-Latin Languages in Internet Address Names

    The ICANN Board of Directors has approved the last application step for four countries to use their national language scripts in the last portion of Internet address names.

    Egypt, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates received approval to use their non-Latin language scripts in the top-level domain (TLD) part of an Internet address name. The top-level domain follows the dot, such as dot-com or dot-org.

    “This decision means that, for the first time, we will see non-Latin characters, specifically Arabic and Cyrillic, in an entire Internet address name,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN. “This will open the door to the Internet to Arabic and Russian speakers who may have never been online.”

    The Board’s action is part of ICANN’s move to internationalize the Internet by facilitating the use of non-Latin characters in the top-level domain. Until recently, technical constraints meant that all domain names had to end in letters from the Latin alphabet (A through Z). After years of work by ICANN, a global system for the use of other scripts has been designed and tested. It was approved in October.

    “Today is a milestone in the development of the Internet,” said Tina Dam, Senior Director of the IDN program. “The Board’s approval means these addresses should be available to users in the four countries very soon.”

    The internationalized domain name program is being rolled out in stages. IDNs will initially be allowed on a limited basis for individual country domain names (known as country code top-level domains or ccTLDs). These four countries can now use non-Latin scripts for dot-eg (Egypt), dot-ru (Russia), dot-sa (Saudi Arabia) or dot-ae (U.A.E.). Eventually, IDNs will be allowed in the TLD portion of all Internet address names.

    This is the first time any country has completed the entire application process under ICANN’s Fast Track IDN ccTLD program.

    The Board also passed a measure that is expected to expedite the appearance of Chinese characters in top-level domains as part of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track. To read more about that, go here: icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-22apr10-en.htm#synchronized.

    To read today’s Board resolution on IDN top-level domains for Egypt, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, go here: icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-22apr10-en.htm#idn-cctlds.

    To read more about the IDN ccTLD Fast Track, go here: icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track.

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    About ICANN:

    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 coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn’t have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: icann.org.