A new opportunity to push your brand on the Internet

ICANN’s upcoming round of allocation of TLDs is a real opportunity for businesses and local authorities.

In the first round, in 2012, nearly 2,000 applications were filed worldwide and more than 1,200 new TLDs were created, .bzh, .sncf, .leclerc, and .paris all being examples of TLDs created at that time.

In 2026, the new round will allow new entities to acquire their own TLD such as .brand or .region.

For them, this represents great prospects in terms of brand visibility, security and strategy. They will be able to create entirely customised spaces allowing them to strengthen their digital identity and become better known. Having their own TLD will also give them greater independence, strengthen security and thus increase their users’ trust.

Afnic can support you in obtaining a TLD

Afnic has put in place a comprehensive range of services to support brands and local authorities in the complex process of obtaining a TLD. These involve a number of stages, from the preliminary analysis of requirements through to drawing up and submitting the application and the back-end management of the TLD once it has been allocated.

As well as being the registrar for the .fr TLD and the French overseas TLDs, Afnic is France’s leading back-end operator, supporting some 15 new gTLDs such as .leclerc for brands and .bzh and .alsace for regions.

Expectations and challenges

We expect the volume of demand from French businesses and local authorities to be higher than in 2012.

Since applicants have matured digitally, we expect them to be better prepared than in 2012 and to have more precise expectations.

Applicants will be better informed of the advantages of having their own TLD and will have more cogent projects.

From ICANN’s point of view, the main challenge will be making sure all applicants are treated fairly and transparently while at the same time ensuring fast and effective assessment of the technical, legal and operational aspects. The objective is to draw lessons from the experience of 2012 to make the new 2026 round flexible, fast, equitable and inclusive.