London to get own web domain name

LONDON: The supremacy of London as a business hub received a further boost with an official go-ahead to use its own '.london' domain name.

A deal has been signed that will make available internet addresses ending 'in.london', instead of the usual'.com' or '.co.uk', from 2014.

The agreement, signed off by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN), allows London-based businesses, organisations and individuals to apply for the domain name from early next year.

London & Partners (L&P), the British capital's promotional body, had applied to ICANN in 2012 to set up and manage the '.london' domain name.

London Mayor Boris Johnson believes it would be a major boon for businesses.

"Adopting the '.london' suffix will enable organisations to more closely associate themselves with our great city's powerful global brand. This is also an excellent opportunity to expand London's digital presence, which in turn is set to generate funds to invest back into the city," he said.

London-based businesses or registered trademarks will have an "exclusivity period" lasting several months when they will be able to register their own ".london" domain names.

After that they will be thrown open to auction. The domain names will have to be renewed each year for a small fee and L&P hopes this will generate an income stream of several millions of pounds a year to be ploughed back into the promotion of the city.

New York had became the first US city to have its own domain name after US-based ICANN approved '.nyc' in June.