Nominet, the internet company best known for running the .uk internet infrastructure, has announced that the new ‘example.uk’ domain names will be launched on 10 June 2014.
From this date, individuals and businesses will be able to register the shorter ‘example.uk’ domain names through their registrar alongside existing domains such as ‘example.co.uk’ or ‘example.org.uk’.
Over ten million existing .uk domain holders will be offered the shorter equivalent of their current address, with five years to decide whether they want to use it in addition to, or instead of the domain they already have. To ensure everyone gets a fair chance at having these domains, Nominet will be contacting these customers following the launch to make sure they’re aware of their opportunity to exercise this right.
Those still interested in registering a .uk domain can consult Nominet’s WHOIS tool, which has been updated to allow people to look up who (if anyone) holds the right of registration for an ‘example.uk’ domain.
Nominet announced the launch of the .uk domains in November last year, stating that the new addresses will cost as much as the current ‘.co.uk’ names – £3.50 for a single year and £2.50 when registered for several years.
“The .uk namespace is one of the most popular and trusted available and we’re committed to ensuring it stays up-to-date and relevant,” Nominet CEO Lesley Cowley said at the time. “We’re excited to offer the option of a shorter, snappier domain name that we believe will appeal to both our existing customers and the businesses and bloggers of tomorrow.”
The new domains are being rolled out ahead of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduction of more than a thousand new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). The new domains include one specifically targeted at residents of the UK capital, which is set to become one of the first cities in the world to launch its own city domain name -‘.london’. Earlier this week, ICANN also announced that Scotland would get its own unique domain – ‘.scot’, in a moved hailed by Scottish politicians and nationalists alike.
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Why make a lateral change in TLD (from .co.uk to .uk) when that won't avoid the potential consumer/visitor confusion of multiple similar domain names - especially considering the impending new geo gTLDs?
Why not just convert to a ".com" domain which would provide international recognition, credibility, exclusivity, and global reach? Even if the .com version carries a premium price it would be smart to upgrade now and avoid costs of lateral transition that will likely lead to consumer confusion and unknown losses in business.