Geographic Applicants

Information for Potential City or Region Applicants

Geographic gTLDs (generic top level domains) may enable cities and regions to promote greater recognition of their area, generate additional revenue, and better serve constituents. Examples of Geographic gTLDs are “.paris” and “.africa.”.

Some applicants may decide that their most expedient, cost-effective, and best route to satisfying these criteria is to outsource to a proven registry provider such as Verisign. To learn more download our whitepaper.

Download Now

Increased recognition

A Geographic gTLD may help to reinforce the visibility of a city or region by putting it firmly on the online map and becoming the "official" Internet resource for citizens and visitors. It could potentially become a high-profile virtual space to discuss ideas, conduct transactions, support diverse ethnic and cultural groups, and enable citizens to interact with civic departments, public officials, and elected representatives.

New revenue streams

A Geographic gTLD may enable administrations to generate new income streams by licensing second-level domain names to local businesses, citizens, non-profits, and other organizations. With locally branded affiliations such as ".hotel.city" or ".restaurant.city", administrations may be able to extend their revenue opportunities from the physical world to the virtual.

Enhanced online profile

New Geographic gTLDs may make it possible to introduce email addresses such as "cafe@city" or "jsmith@region" one day, potentially adding local relevance and branding to private and business email traffic. If email clients and servers were updated to permit this simplified format, short, memorable email addresses such as "mayor@city" or "planning@city" could one day make it easier for citizens to access their local administration.

Enhanced security, control, and trust

As the steward of a Geographic gTLD, a municipality or regional administration will likely have the authority to set requirements for second-level domain name registrants. By restricting registration of these names to vetted, legitimate registrants the stewards of Geographic gTLDs may help improve trust and confidence. Every entity with a second-level domain name, from the largest to the smallest organization, could potentially benefit from the potential prestige, visibility, and authenticity conferred by the Geographic gTLD.

Want to learn more or speak with a Verisign New gTLD Services expert?

Register Now