Daijiworld Media Network

London, Jun 20: Soon, Internet users will get to browse sites that end with a company address, for example, .apple, or .coke.

With domain endings like .com, .net and so on declining rapdily in number, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) will invite corporations and cities and other businesses to register for domain endings.

"Icann has opened the internet's addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination," said Rod Beckstrom, president and chief executive officer, Icann.

What this means is internet users will be browsing sites with address that end not only with .com or .org, but .google, .sony and other hundred or so generic top-level domain names (gTLDs).

Currently, there are 22 gTLDS and about 250 country-level domain names like .in, .ae etc.

The move is seen as a revolution of sorts in the web world.

The companies wanting to register their domains will have to shell out a whopping $ 185,000 to apply for the suffixes, and also justify their claim. Applications will start in January.

Nevertheless, for big companies, it would be a small price to pay given the scope for maximising their presence on cyberspace. The cost includes the developing charges that Icann will incur during the process.

Only selected companies will be chosen for domain endings, based on quality and technical competitiveness, along with high standards of intellectual property protection.