Mobile Top Level Domain (mTLD) today announced the rollout plan for the new mobile-friendly dotmobi domain name. Dotmobi provides the world's first domain name optimised for consumers using the Internet on a mobile device.
The rollout will commence with the "Sunrise Registration Period" for trademark holders in June 2006, followed by the "General Registration" in September. mTLD is working closely with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), registrars, copyright bodies and site owners to ensure that trademarks are properly protected during the Sunrise Period.
The Sunrise Period will be unique in this case as mTLD plans to offer the mobile industry a week long advance period to register their trade and service marks, at the end of May. This week long period is referred to as the "Limited Industry Sunrise". Leading mobile industry associations such as the GSM Association (one of mTLD's founding investors), CTIA - The Wireless Association®, and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) among others have lined up to support the dotmobi sunrise for their membership.
"Dotmobi's sunrise launch is an important milestone in the path towards making internet access from mobile handsets easy, quick, reliable and rewarding,? said Ameet Shah, Chief Strategy and Development Officer of the GSMA. "We are delighted our members have the opportunity to be in at the very start of something very exciting" he added.
"It is through wireless technology that many Americans will experience broadband for the very first time. This announcement is yet another indication of the consumer's strong desire to access the Internet and other data services wirelessly. Ensuring predictable and reliable Internet access from any device on any network is an important topic for CTIA - The Wireless Association®," said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA.
"We are pleased that MMA members will have an opportunity to participate in the dotmobi sunrise registration period. Dotmobi will become a catalyst to simplify the mobile web experience for millions of consumers worldwide," said, Laura Marriott, Executive Director of the Mobile Marketing Association.
Neil Edwards, General Manager of mTLD, said, "Dotmobi is the first domain name to garner real support from the some of the world's leading mobile players and associations. We hope to accelerate the number of mobile-friendly websites available to consumers on the internet in 2006 by inviting companies to register their trade and service marks in the dotmobi domain."
After the Limited Industry Sunrise, all companies will be able to register their trade- and service-mark names as a second level dotmobi (e.g., myname.mobi) domain name from June to August 2006. Dotmobi will then be available for registration by the general public in September 2006. Companies and individuals who want to register can get their dotmobi domain names through participating ICANN accredited registrars.
The rollout announcement follows the recent publication of the consultative edition of dotmobi's Switch On! Web Browsing Guides - handbooks to ensure the best possible internet experience for the mobile user.
Organisations can find additional information as well as view showcase sites by referring to the mTLD site. Many of the companies backing mTLD plan to demonstrate dotmobi-based sites at 3GSM, the mobile industry's annual conference and exhibition taking place in Barcelona, Spain in February.
For more information on the dotmobi sunrise program check out mtld.mobi. |
I'd love to be in Barcelona right now to be able to attend to the 3GSM World Congress, but I can't go :-/ |