DUBAI
An internet completely dedicated to the Arabic language has become a reality with the launch of ‘.’ (dotShabaka), joining the likes .com, .net and .org online as the world’s first cross-border Arabic Top-Level Domain.
.Shabaka was approved by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) as the new Top-Level Domain (TLD) in March to expand the web address system.
TLDs are letters after the final dot of a domain name.
Right now there are only 22 domains such as .com, .org, .us, .ae and .net. With such limitation getting the website name you want has become increasingly difficult and expensive. To put this into context, there are around 160 million active websites, and 111 million of them are dot coms. All this is about to change with around 1,300 new domains going through the final stages of launch — with the first ones likely to be online in the next few months.
This project is being overseen by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an organisation that manages domain names and IP addresses, who have been working for eight years to make this a reality.
As the internet is now essential to the way we connect with friends and family, the way we do business and the way we learn about new cultures, this new system, called the “New generic Top-Level Domain programme” will likely affect everyone who uses the Net in some way.
Etisalat Group has applied for the .etisalat and top level domains apart from many others in the region.
Technology company
“Asma.Shabaka is already live and the new TLD is working. Early January will see more Arabic domain names on the internet,” Yasmin Omer, General Manager of dotShabaka Registry, told Gulf News.
DotShabaka Registry is a Dubai-based internet technology company behind the network. Despite the growth in Arabic content online, she said people need to use Google search in English to get into the Arabic website. With the introduction of Shabaka, users need to type in Arabic to get into the Arabic content.
The domain namespace will only operate in Arabic script on the internet and end users will only be able to use it by typing in Arabic. For example, Al Jazeera.shabaka or CNN.shabaka.
As the first new Top-Level Domain, ‘. , is set to become the centre of all things Arabic on the internet.
“It is an incredible achievement not only for us but for the entire Arabic speaking world. It will pioneer a new way for people to use the internet that begins with the Arabic language. It will provide tremendous opportunities for new businesses to grow and flourish in the Arabic language,” she said.
Big brands
“We are currently in the 60-day Sunrise period, which means that big brands and trademark holders need to register their names in dotShabaka Registry. We do this to allow trademark holders to register before anyone else. Once the process is validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse, they can go live on the internet,” she said.
The Trademark Clearinghouse was established by ICANN and is managed by Deloitte and IBM.
“The [Sunrise] period will end by the end of this year, and on January 2, 2014, we will start the Landrush period which is for 30 days. The Landrush period is for anyone, individuals and companies, to apply.” DotShabaka Registry has signed deals with 20 registrars to sell the dotShabaka domain names. This will be a “good opportunity for not only companies but also for you and me.” She said that if more than one application with the same domain names is registered, then the auction starts after the Landrush period. The highest bidder will get the domain name.
“We have seen a lot of interest from across the globe, not only from companies but also from individuals. Arabic is no longer a second-class language. They are in equal footing with English language. The next 90 million Arabic Internet users will be able to navigate the internet in truly Arabic,” she said.
Arabic is the fifth most-spoken language in the world and has grown 2,500 per cent in 10 years to 2011 compared to 300 per cent in English. It is the fastest growing segment on the internet and there are close to 900 million Arabic speaking people in the world. “Expect to see the region’s biggest brands and most influential people online utilising the ‘.’ namespace to show that they support an Arabic Internet and want to showcase Arabic content,” she said.
“...Recently we’ve commenced work with a local marketing agency to develop what will be an extensive marketing campaign to further raise awareness of ‘.’ and the Arabic Internet,” she added.
