Get ready for new gTLDs like .prompt, .dns, and even brands like .tiktok. Among the most sought-after names is .agent, which drew 13 applicants.
For the first time in 14 years, the internet is getting a ton more generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs).
When the internet’s domain system started back in 1985, there were only a few primary TLDs: .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov and .mil. The number of TLDs grew in small fits and spurts until 2012, when 1,241 new gTLDs were added. The internet has changed over the last 14 years, and now ICANN is opening up the process for the next round of new gTLD, which could bring 1,600 new names to the internet.
This time around, big brands are in the mix trying to get their own corporate name as a TLD, and cryptocurrency is well represented. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a tech story if there wasn’t AI in the mix, too. Among the applications for new gTLDs are:
- Corporate names: .adidas, .adobe, .airbnb, .cloudflare, .stripe, .tiktok, .zoom
- Cryptocurrency: .bitcoin, .btc, .crypto, .ethereum, .ether, .nft, .usdt
- AI: .agent, .llm, superintelligence, .prompt, .mcp, .openai, .anthropic
“The last time ICANN accepted applications for new gTLDs was in 2012,” Marika Konings, vice president, New gTLD Program lead at ICANN, told Network World. “Since then, ICANN and the community have worked to make adjustments to the next round of the New gTLD Program.”
What is different from the 2012 round
ICANN changed several parts of the application process after the 2012 round.
Konings explained that the program now includes a standalone Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program. RSPs run the back-end operations for a registry operator. Some operators act as their own RSP, and others outsource the work. Providers can now be pre-evaluated, so the technical review does not have to happen at the same time as the application evaluation.
The Applicant Support Program offers financial support to applicants who need it. The program received 76 applications this round, and 56 qualified. Of those, 51 submitted a gTLD application. In 2012, the program received three applications and one applicant progressed.
Applicants can now apply for variant gTLDs, in part due to the development of mechanisms to manage these TLDs by the ICANN community. A variant TLD is an Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) that can be registered in different ways due to variations in the spelling of words.
There is also an evaluation of and commitment to trademark rights protections. “The ICANN community engaged in an extensive policy review of the rules and protections from the 2012 round through the Review of Rights Protection Mechanisms Policy Development Process,” Konings said.
The applications by the numbers
ICANN received 1,615 applications for the new gTLD wave. North America accounts for 864 of them, and Europe accounts for 506. Asia/Australia/Pacific accounts for 218. Africa accounts for 1, and Latin America and the Caribbean account for 11.
Network World sifted through the full filing set to look for trends across different categories.
- Corporate brands. The 333 brand applications include technology and cloud names such as .adobe, .cloudflare, .datadog, .salesforce, .shopify, .slack, .snowflake, and .stripe. Consumer platforms include .facebook, .instagram, .whatsapp, .tiktok, .zoom, .airbnb, and .uber. Other brand names include .adidas, .newbalance, .bankofamerica, and .goldmansachs.
- Artificial intelligence. The file includes at least 29 strings tied to artificial intelligence (AI) terms or AI company and product names. Generic terms include .agent (13 applicants), .agentic (two), and .agi (artificial general intelligence, seven). Others include .llm (large language model, two), .mcp (Model Context Protocol, five), .prompt, and .superintelligence. Company and product names include .openai, .chatgpt, .codex, .anthropic, .claude, .copilot, .gemini, .llama, and .qwen. Community-based applications include one each for .agent and .mcp. One of the 21 IDN applications is for the Chinese term for artificial intelligence.
- Cryptocurrency. The file includes at least 31 strings tied to cryptocurrency and blockchain. Names include .bitcoin (two applicants), .crypto (five), .ethereum, .ether (two), .solana, .tether, .ripple, .ledger, .wallet (four), and .token (three). Four community-based applications are for crypto strings. They are .bitcoin, .sol, .sui, and .avax.
- Network and developer terms. At least 16 strings come from the network and developer stack. They include .lan (local area network), .vpn (virtual private network, two applicants), .dns (Domain Name System, two), .cdn (content delivery network), .proxy, .auth and .login. .api (application programming interface) drew 10 applicants.
- Geographic names. The 15 self-identified geographic applications include .bali, .beijing, .bremen, .budapest, .salzburg, and .vienna.
- Most contested. There are some 263 names that have more than one applicant. Among the most contested: .agent drew 13 applicants, the most of any string. .bit followed with 11. .api, .brand and .hub each drew 10.
Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) can be applied for in 26 scripts representing over 380 languages. Applicants can also apply for variant gTLDs. “A variant TLD is an Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) that can be registered in different ways due to variations in the spelling of words in a given language,” Konings said.
Making sure the new gTLDs will work
Adding new gTLDs to the internet isn’t just about accepting proposals, it’s also about validating that the new name will work without causing disruption to existing services. For the new gTLDs, among the software readiness criteria to avoid disruptions are the concepts of name collision and universal acceptance.
Name collision is the problem of a new public TLD matching a name that a network already uses privately. Many organizations use names inside their networks that do not exist in the public DNS, such as an internal domain ending in something like .corp or .lan. If ICANN delegates a new gTLD with the same string, lookups for those internal names can start resolving through the public DNS, or leaking out of the network, instead of staying internal. That can break applications or expose traffic.
“ICANN’s name collision framework subjects every applied-for string to a name collision risk assessment; what it requires of the applicant depends on the risk identified,” Konings said.
Universal Acceptance (UA) is about whether software actually works with every valid domain name and email address, including the new ones.
“The broader use of IDNs and longer TLDs depends on progress in UA, which ensures that all valid domain names and email addresses can be correctly accepted, validated, processed, stored, and displayed across Internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems,” Konings said.
So far, all ICANN has done is reveal what applications have been made. The next milestone is String Confirmation Day on November 17, 2026, when ICANN will publish the final list of strings that will proceed through the program. That date begins the Community Input and Objections Period, which runs to March 16, 2027. ICANN has set a Prioritization Draw for the first half of 2027 to determine processing order.
