ICANN is likely to push back the date for which it begins taking
applications till at least August according to documents published by
ICANN this week, and reported on by Domain Incite.
The documents give two timelines for the "New gTLD Launch Scenarios". The documents state, and Domain Incite reports:
If the Board were to approve the Guidebook after the January/February meeting, the announcement and communications campaign launch would be made shortly thereafter. The first applications could be received as early as (but not earlier than) 1 July 2011.
If the Board elects that a full comment analysis and sixth version of the Guidebook be written, with approval at the Silicon Valley meeting, the approval would be followed by an April announcement and communications campaign launch. First applications could be received as early as (but no earlier than) August 2011.
To read the Domain Incite report in full, see:
domainincite.com/possible-new-tlds-timeline-revealed