Dubai-based Directi applies for 31 web suffixes

NEW DELHI: With internet addresses moving from most common '.com' to literally .anything, Dubai-based Directi today said it has applied for 31 such website extensions investing $ 30 million in the process.

The company has applied for 31 such generic top level domain (gTLD) or new website extensions, including .web and .music through a new entity -- Radix, which will handle its application and registry business.

"We have committed $ 30 million towards the application process and have applied for 31 different strings, which we believe are the most premium," Directi Group Founder and CEO Bhavin Turakhia said.

After the allocation of suffixes, it would become a registry company which can allot domain names in those strings.

ICANN, the global body that oversees operation and administration of the Internet domain name system, had invited applications till May 30 for TLD, which will open up the gates for new website suffixes.

ICANN has received about 2,000 applications from across the globe. The names applied for will be revealed on June 13.

Each application to ICANN cost the applicants about $ 1,85,000.

This offered people a chance to register for websites ending up in names they like, a step that is expected to change the way users navigate the web.

Top level domain names comprise letters that appear to the right of the last "dot" in a website like '.com'.

Presently, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) allows 22 suffixes on addresses such as .net, .com and .org.

"This is a historic moment in the evolution of the Internet. New gTLDs will change the way people find information on the Internet and how businesses plan and structure their online presence," Turakhia said.

He added that the company has applied for strings such as .web, .space, .music, .banks, .loans, .hotels, .law, among others.

Turakhia said he is fairly confident that they will get most of the strings and that these names will contibute to the company's revenues significantly.

"It should boost the business by 2-3 times over the next few years," Turakhia said.