ICANN Reveals a Few Details on New Domain Name Applications

The group that runs the Internet's address system is revealing a few details about the program it launched in January allowing for the introduction of an unlimited number of new Internet addresses. So far, 100 groups or companies have submitted applications to run their own domain names to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the group said.

Each applicant is allowed to apply for up to 50 names. However, applicants must pay a $185,000 evaluation fee for each name they apply for, an ICANN spokesman said. ICANN has so far refused to say now many names each applicant has applied for or give any details about the applicants. In the unlikely event that every applicant applied for the maximum number of names, it means there could be as many as 5,000 possible new domain names to compete with the 22 existing top-level domain names. But it could take up to a year before any of the proposed names, whether it be .car or .anything, become available. ICANN has established a lengthy evaluation process to ensure applicants have the financial and technical means to run a new domain name.