Written by Oryx  |  Added: 25.05.2010, 19:41

Web goes global with Arabic URLs

Though the World Wide Web is accessible around the globe, there has been a certain oddity that all web addresses have been entered using Latin characters. That is no longer the case.

The company that coordinates web addresses, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), has switched on a system that allows full web addresses that contain no Latin characters, starting with Arabic-written ‘country codes’.
 

The first countries provided with Arabic-scripted addresses are Egypt; Saudi Arabia; and the United Arab Emirates. The move now lays the groundwork for web addresses in several other scripts, including Chinese, Russian, Sinhala, Thai, and Tamil.
 

But ICANN cautions that the Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs), as they are known, would not work on all PCs immediately and that many users would need to update the software on their computers because of font limitations.
 

Those wishing to muscle in on the land-rush for popular names need to take a step back. While dates for the release of Egyptian and UAE domain names have not been announced, it is likely they will emulate that of neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The first round of Saudi domain name applications will only be assigned to trade mark and trade name organisations and businesses, with the second round limited to Saudi companies or nationals.
 

By taking these steps, brand owners will be able to maximise the opportunity that Arabic domain names provide, while at the same time ensuring that they minimise the risk of issues, such as cybersquatting.