The DotConnect Africa (DCA) Organization participated at ICANN's historic meeting ,that took place in Singapore,from 20th to 24th June 2011 .
On 20 June,ICANN's Board of Directors approved one of the biggest changes ever to the Internet Domain Name System . From now on,Internet address names will end with almost any word and in any language .You can read the press release after the jump:
"The DotConnect Africa (DCA) Organization participated in the ICANN-41 Meeting that took place in Singapore from 20th to 24th June 2011.
Singapore provided DCA with another opportunity to further consolidate its position and the relevance of DotAfrica as a prospective outcome of the successful campaign for the introduction of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLD) on the Internet by ICANN.DCA's Singapore activities started with being part of the Breakfast meeting organized by ICANN for DNS Women in Singapore. Women in the Domain Name System, is a networking group for Professional women involved in the domain name industry.
A Historic Decision:
The ICANN 41 meeting in Singapore proved to be a very important historical landmark following the approval of the plan by the ICANN Board to launch new generic Top Level Domains (gTLD). This was the most important accomplishment of the Singapore meeting. The key message behind this revolutionary decision is that the Internet as a resource for information exchange and communications will change. It is expected that the new gTLDs would be the next big thing that would spur a new "Dot" revolution on the Internet, perhaps surpassing the "DotCom" boom which occurred a little over a decade ago. The new gTLD's present new innovative opportunities for business in terms of the new web sites and new businesses that would likely result from the new gTLD program.
DCA's History with ICANN and Africa:
DCA as a leading campaigner for DotAfrica and an important stakeholder and supporter of the ICANN process takes especial pride in the successes achieved during the seminal meeting that took place in Singapore. The successful passage of the ICANN Board Resolution approving the introduction of the new gTLDs was ample justification for DCA's initiation of project since (6) years and its campaign and strenuous efforts expended over the past two years after winning the pivotal endorsement for DotAfrica from the African Union Commission and other esteemed partners.
Prior to the Singapore meeting, DCA had proactively lobbied by official correspondence the United States National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Department of Commerce to make a justifiable case the DotAfrica gTLD and inform the influential agency that the ICANN process for introducing new gTLDs is fair and transparent and that due consideration has been given to the protection of trademark interests. This was seen as a very important contribution amongst others to winning cross-cutting support for the approval of the new gTLD program by all stakeholders of ICANN.
ICANN recognizes Africa as one of its important 'geographic regions'. It is therefore the intention of DCA to apply for DotAfrica and implement this gTLD for the benefit of users in Africa. New applications for the new gTLD program will be received by ICANN between 12th January 2011 and April 2011.
DCA and "yes2DotAfrica" campaign: DCA still sees a compelling need for continuing its campaign to ensure the market sustainability of the DotAfrica gTLD, as post-meeting snap review of the current knowledge and attitude of users indicates that most people still do not see the potential benefits of the new gTLD, or the innovative possibilities that this represents. DCA's 'Yes to DotAfrica' campaign will continue to undertake the social responsibility of educating and informing users and supporters regarding how people will benefit from the new gTLD program.
DCA and ccTLDs
To this end therefore, DCA will reach out to those ccTLDs in Africa that are presently unaffiliated to AfTLD, since AfTLD is already going the private sector route by establishing new tie-ups that are entirely profit-driven whilst subverting its original mission and mandate in the process. DCA would work with those ccTLDs based on its previous commitment of cross-marketing which we announced in Kampala, thereby giving users and registrants a wider choice in the innovative use of new Internet domains under the DotAfrica initiative. "