Source: Monday, March 22nd, 2013
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130322_centralnic_powers_first_new_top_level_domains_announced_by_icann/

CentralNic powers the first new Top Level Domains annouced by ICANN

New "TLDs" a Revolutionary Change to the Internet

London, England (March 22, 2013) – Two Arabic-language Top-Level Domains ("TLDs") applied for by The Ooredoo Group have been approved today by domain name regulator ICANN.

Adding the names .QatarTelecom and .Mozaic in Arabic script into the domain name system as substitutes for TLDs such as "dot com" and "dot net" represents the biggest change to the Internet since its inception, according to Ben Crawford, CEO of CentralNic, the technology company whose "DotBrand Solutions" division was tasked with obtaining and powering these new TLDs.

"Not only are these the first generic TLDs in Arabic script, but they are also among the world's first "DotBrand" domains. The Ooredoo Group is one of the first companies in the world to have their own brand names approved for use as TLDs. We will see this revolutionary trend continue with the approval of other DotBrand TLDs like .google, .apple and .sony in months to come," said Crawford.

ICANN followed a rigorous due diligence process in assessing the TLD applications prepared for The Ooredoo Group by DotBrand Solutions, and evaluated the applications and CentralNic's technology as surpassing ICANN's requirements.

The domains which were approved are as follows:

	Meaning "Qatar Telecom" – a brand of the Qatar-headquartered telecommunications provider.
	Meaning “Mozaic – The Ooredoo Group's pay TV service brand.

"The Ooredoo Group is a visionary company and a leader in innovation not only in the Arabic-speaking world, but globally," Mr. Crawford said. "We are delighted to congratulate them on taking a leadership position in the next developmental stage of the internet."

About DotBrand Solutions/CentralNic

DotBrand Solutions ("DBS") is the world's first consultancy dedicated to obtaining Top-Level Domains for brands and trademark holders, with clients across three continents including The Ooredoo Group, Kuwait Finance House, Etisalat, Saudi Telecom and The Guardian, among others.

DotBrand Solutions is a service of CentralNic, selected as the back-end service provider for sixty new TLD applications, including .wiki, .rest, .xyz and .feedback. CentralNic currently manages a portfolio of 29 domain extensions, including country codes .LA and .PW, as well as .US.COM for the United States, UK.COM for the United Kingdom, .CN.COM for China, and .COM.DE for Germany.

For further enquiries, please contact CentralNic:

CentralNic Ltd
35 - 39 Moorgate
London, EC2R 6AR, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 33 88 0600
Fax Number: +44 (0) 20 33 88 0601
Email: press@centralnic.com