Dandjinou: Ease to Financial Constraints Will Boost Domain Names

Vice President, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Africa, Pierre Dandjinou, speaks with Emma Okonji about the financial constraints and lack of other resources that impede the growth of domain names across Africa, and the bold steps taken by ICAAN to remedy the situation, among other issues. Excerpts:

ICANN recently announced the opening of the Applicant Support Program (ASP) for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program called the Next Round. What does the ASP seek to address?

To make the New gTLD Program as accessible to as many eligible entities as possible, ICANN is providing financial and non-financial assistance to qualified applicants through the Applicant Support Program, or ASP. The ASP is intended to make the New gTLD Program attainable to applicants that want to apply for a new gTLD but are unable to do so because of financial constraints and lack of other resources.

The ASP provides a range of financial and nonfinancial assistance for qualified applicants including access to volunteer professional services, training, and other resources, and reductions in base gTLD application and evaluation fees.

What exactly distinguishes gTLD from country specific Domain Name System and what are the rules guiding the gTLD strings?

Top-level domains (TLDs) are the names at the top of the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy. They appear in domain names as the string of letters following the last dot. For example, in the domain name icann.org, the characters “org” identify the TLD. Without exception, all two-character TLDs are country-code domains (ccTLDs), which indicate the country, sovereign state, or dependent territory. Because ccTLDs are managed locally, the rules and policies for registering domain names vary across ccTLDs.

While individuals and organisations can register a domain name, the process of applying for a gTLD is much more complex. In fact, when you apply for a top-level domain, you are applying to operate an Internet registry (a Registry Operator or RO) that plays a key role in the Internet ecosystem. That role comes with both technical and contractual responsibilities.

The responsibilities of registries include accepting registration requests, maintaining the database of the necessary domain name registration data, and providing name servers to publish the zone file data (i.e., information about the location of a domain name) throughout the Internet.

The RO sets the requirements for the gTLD; they determine which second-level domains (the characters before the dot) can be registered, and by whom. There can be an unlimited number of domain names listed under that gTLD; or the gTLD may be restricted, for example to employees or customers.

There are many aspects – technical, financial, regulatory – to running a registry. Reviewing the Applicant Guidebook from the 2012 application round is a good starting point for potential new gTLD applicants.

How will the new gTLD empower communities to address existing linguistic and cultural barriers that will help reflect their unique identities?

The New gTLD Program gives businesses, governments and other entities the chance to address the needs of populations that speak a non-Latin-based language who can be better served online. Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) incorporate characters from different scripts, enabling people to use domain names and email addresses in scripts from around the world. IDNs give governments and businesses the ability to reach constituents or customers in their preferred script.

In the next round of the New gTLD Program, ICANN will accept applications for new gTLDs in languages or scripts that are commonly used by a community. Currently 26 scripts, including Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Ethiopic, and Devanagari, representing hundreds of languages, can have a gTLD applied for in that script.

How will the ASP initiative be a game-changer in enabling underserved communities and lesser resourced organisations benefit from the new gTLD Program?

ICANN developed the Applicant Support Program to make the New gTLD Program accessible to organisations that may want to apply for a new gTLD but are unable to do so because of financial and other resource constraints. The ASP is designed for specific entities that may be eligible for support. These include: nonprofits, nongovernmental, and charitable organizations; intergovernmental organisations; indigenous and tribal peoples’ organizations; and small businesses that operate as social enterprises or which operate in a less-developed economy.

Can you explain how the new gTLD will enhance internet innovation, foster competition and encourage consumer choice in the domain name industry?

The Internet started with just a handful of TLDs, such as .com, .net., .org and others. As it has evolved, the number of generic TLDs in the DNS has increased to reflect the multidimensionality of its billions of users. ICANN has carried out three application rounds for new gTLDs: in 2000, 2004, and 2012. The 2012 round of new gTLD applications was the largest expansion of the DNS to-date, aimed at encouraging innovation, competition, and consumer choice in the Domain Name System.

More than 1,200 gTLDs have been delegated through the New gTLD Program. Today, the DNS supports domain names in multiple scripts as well as gTLDs longer than three characters. From .accountant to .wine, to .berlin to photography, these new gTLDs represent brands, communities, and geographies.

The goal of the New gTLD Program: Next Round is to foster diversity, encourage competition, and enhance the usefulness of the DNS. The round comes at the request of ICANN’s global multistakeholder community, which developed the program over a number of years, and is being implemented by ICANN in line with community developed policy recommendations.

What are some of the opportunities available for businesses to strengthen their brands and target niche markets?

For businesses, new gTLDs can give enterprises in specific countries, sectors, or niche markets the opportunity to create an exclusive, descriptive, and memorable label on the Internet. New gTLDs can allow a business to clearly identify itself online, whether it’s a small business, brand, geography, or nonprofit. They can also be used as a powerful tool to establish greater control over a business’ digital presence, enhance online security, and build greater trust with Internet users. For more ways gTLDs can be used by businesses, check out published use cases from current registry operators.

Technology is evolving rapidly across the globe. How will the new gTLD support the future internet and keep pace with the evolving digital landscape?

The New gTLD Program will further diversify the DNS by introducing new top-level domains including those in various scripts. The next round will offer opportunities to communities waiting for access to a more multilingual and inclusive Internet, and give businesses and organizations opportunities to reach diverse global audiences. New gTLDs and IDNs provide global businesses more online identity choices, and a competitive advantage by giving them the ability to provide domain names in local scripts.

The availability of more gTLDs provides space for differentiation and innovation, allowing for new, as yet-unknown digital services using new Internet domain names to emerge.

A range of organisations can benefit from having a gTLD, from commercial entities that want to address local customers to communities scattered throughout the world that share common values. In this way, the New gTLD Program responds to the changing requirements of Internet users worldwide, fostering a more inclusive DNS.

There is increased diversity of languages in today’s digital age. How can Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) help bridge the language gap online and allow individuals and organisations to navigate the internet in their native languages?

According to the Universal Acceptance Steering Group, the expansion of the DNS through the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) has helped to reduce linguistic barriers to the Internet by enabling people to navigate online using their own language. Many of the 2.6 billion people who are not online are from communities that speak and write in languages other than English, according to the International Telecommunication Union.

IDNs incorporate characters from different scripts, enabling people to use domain names and email addresses in scripts from around the world. IDNs give governments and businesses the ability to reach constituents or customers in their preferred script.

List some countries of the world where IDN adoption has been successful and what has been the positive impact on communities and businesses?

More information on IDN usage around the world can be found in ICANN’s June 2024 IDN Report. ICANN is working with current registry operators to publish use cases on the New gTLD program website and expects to have IDN use cases available soon.

Who can apply for the new gTLD and how easy is the application, with regards to the financial involvement and technicalities?

Any established business, community, government, or other organization may apply for a gTLD in the New gTLD Program. Yet only some will succeed. The process of applying for a gTLD is much more complex than registering a domain name, which any individual or organization can do. Applying for a gTLD means that you are applying to operate an Internet registry that plays a key role in the Internet ecosystem. The role comes both technical and contractual responsibilities.

What kind of support initiative does ICANN offer to make the process a lot easier and how will Nigerians benefit from the initiative?

ICANN developed the Applicant Support Program to make the New gTLD Program accessible to organizations that may want to apply for a new gTLD but are unable to do so because of financial and other resource constraints. The ASP is designed for specific entities that may be eligible for support. These include: Nonprofits, nongovernmental, and charitable organizations; intergovernmental organisations; indigenous and tribal peoples’ organizations; and small businesses that operate as social enterprises or which operate in a less-developed economy.

The deadline for submitting ASP applications is 19 November 2025, or about five months prior to the opening of the New gTLD Program application submission period. However, ASP applicants are encouraged to apply early for the following reasons:

ICANN has budgeted support for up to 40 applicants at an 85% fee reduction. Should demand exceed this amount, the fee reduction can be reduced to 75% to cover up to 45 supported applicants. However, it is important to recognize program resource limitations.

Since ASP evaluations are conducted on an ongoing basis, the first applicants to apply and qualify for support will be able to take advantage of the resources available. Those that apply after the available resources have been expended may have to wait until future cycles of the programme.