The new top-level domain .mobi for mobile devices and services is set to join the ranks of .com and .net. But will it do anyone besides registrars any good?
The new top-level domain .mobi is set to open for registration on May 22, officially putting a new suffix on the Internet with the likes of .com, .net, .org, and .edu.
The .mobi top-level domain (or TLD) is intended to be used by mobile devices and services: backers of .mobi make an interesting case when they point out that there are roughly four cell phones for for every personal computer, and increasingly those phones have Internet and data capabilities. However, most of the Internet is relatively inaccessible to mobile devices; therefore, it makes sense to identify clearly mobile-friendly Internet services. Instead of pointing your phone to example.com and hoping the results are slightly comprehensible (e.g., being able to see more than a “skip intro” link), users will increasingly be able to access example.mobi for mobile-friendly versions of sites and services.
As of May 22, trademark holders in the mobile industry will begin to be able to register their trademarks in the .mobi TLD. General trademark holders will be able to begin registering their trademarks in the .mobi namespace on June 12, and the domain’s doors will be thrown open to everyone on August 28. A list of ICANN-approved registrars handling the .mobi domain is available.
Of course, despite backing from the major players in the telecom and mobile industry, it may be quite some time before the .mobi domain becomes anywhere near as ubiquitous as .com
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