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Now .anyone can have a .web .address

The principal agency and regulator of the Internet, ICANN, (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), is poised to make significant changes to the web by lifting restrictions on the classification of domain names and allow new, customised web addresses.

The changes, issued in a recent press release will allow companies and individuals to purchase top-level domains (TLDs) that could end in almost anything they wished. For example, rather than have a TLD that ends in .com or a country-code TLD such as .co.uk, domains could end in .ebay or .london.

An lCANN official described the changes as “a milestone in the development of the Internet.” He added, “This will open up the Internet and make it look as diverse as the people who use it.”

Although an implementation plan still needs to be approved, companies will now be able to turn their brands names into domains while individuals could also use their own names. However, while the system is open to anyone, applicants will need to demonstrate that they have the technical capacity to be eligible along with the cost of setting up a domain name which is expected to be a six-figure sum.

ICANN said it would begin accepting applications for new domains in early 2009 with the first domains expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

Until now, domain names have been limited mainly by geography. The most widely used TLD is currently .com with around 71 million web addresses, followed by .de, (Germany) with 11.2 million and .net, with 10.6 million. The fastest growing TLD is China’s .cn with 10.5 million addresses.