Dot London Domains Ltd has announced that the new .london web address will be open to public on 29 April 2014. This makes London, the UK capital one of the first cities in the world to publicly roll out its own domain.
The new .london domain was secured in a deal with ICANN back in 2013, which is in the process of launching more than one thousand new generic top-level domains in total.
From April 29, companies or individuals holding trademark registration will be given a 3-month priority period for reserving their desired .London address before it goes on general sale. Pricing would depend on the popularity and importance of the chosen domain names.
According to the new figures, over 200,000 small businesses in London are likely in the line to register for a .london internet address. A survey by YouGov, conducted on behalf of London & Partners, stated that more than one in four businesses surveyed are planning to claim the new .London addresses.
Almost half (48 percent) of these 200,000 companies said the reason to register for .london domain to be “because they are proud to be a London business.”
While 41 percent believed the new web address would help customers to find them more easily, over a quarter – 27 percent thinks the new domain would help them in generating more sales.
Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, said “This is an incredible response from London’s small business community which sees .london as an opportunity to claim an exciting new web address that is uniquely associated with our city’s powerful brand.”
The survey also found that “dozens of leading brands” are backing the new .london web address, including ABP, Museum of London and Society of London Theatre.
