Andorra Telecom, the registry operator for the ccTLD .AD in Andorra, has announced that .AD domain names will soon be available to all on a first-come, first-served basis. Domain names are currently restricted to the owners of business names registered in Andorra or holders of registered local trade marks.
A new regulation for .AD domains will be effective from 22 May 2024 and there will be a transitional priority launch period to allow owners with prior rights the chance to register their domains before the TLD opens for General Availability as follows.
Transition Phase – 22 May 2024 to 16 October 2024
The Transition Phase is made up of an Opening Phase and a Landrush Phase. The Transition Phase is not first-come, first-served – domains will be assigned at the end of the respective phases according to the hierarchy of each category.
Where multiple identical applications are submitted within the same category, the registry will attempt formal or informal mediation and where no agreement is reached, an auction will occur.
Domains will be automatically set to a “PendingCreate” state for registry review.
Opening Phase: 22 May 2024 to 4 September 2024
Domain name applications may be submitted under the following categories (in order of priority):
Landrush Phase: 5 September 2024 to 16 October 2024
Domain name applications may be submitted under the same categories as the Opening Phase, with an additional category:
General Availability – from 22 October 2024
Domains will be available to all without restrictions on a first-come, first-served basis.
IDNs are available and domains may include the Catalan language characters (à, ç, è, é, í, ï, l·l, ò, ó, ú, ü).
1 and 2-character domain names will be available for registration at a later date.
Furthermore, existing holders of .AD domain names will be able to renew their domains from 1 to 10 years upon expiry – the renewal period is currently 2 years.
Google Registry has announced that it will be extending the Limited Registration Period for the .CHANNEL TLD from 30 June 2024 until 1 December 2024, pending ICANN approval.
.CHANNEL domain names are intended solely for use by creators and publishers to host or redirect to storefronts featuring digital and physical products, and audience-building mechanisms for the purpose of monetisation.
.CHANNEL is a more secure domain, meaning that registrants must obtain an SSL certificate and configure HTTPS serving so that browsers can load .CHANNEL websites.
For further information and pricing, contact your Domain Strategist, or contact us here.