Web Host and Domain Name Provider Dotster Begins .ASIA Pre-registration

Web host and domain name provider Dotster has begun pre-registration for .ASIA domain names, it was announced yesterday. The new Top-Level Domain (TLD) is recognized by the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and operated by The DotAsia Organization. The .ASIA extension relates to 73 countries and spans Asia, Australia and the Pacific region ?key global areas enjoying substantial growth.

Dotster expects the Asia/Pacific region to ultimately play a dominant role in Internet ecommerce. The time is right for a .ASIA domain extension and Dotster is taking the lead in providing it to businesses and home users alike,?explained Dotster, Inc. CEO, Mr. Clint Page. China will shortly replace the U.S. as the largest Internet market in the world. By 2010, 95 percent of all South Korean households will be wired for broadband Internet and 94 percent of Japanese homes will have broadband access, with Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia expected to be nearly 80 percent wired. With more than 60 percent of the world’s population, Asia is experiencing remarkable economic, technical and cultural growth that businesses can take advantage of with a .ASIA domain name from Dotster.?

The registration process currently taking place includes applications for Governmental Reserved Names, registered trademarks and service mark holders, and for companies in the region to use their name with the .ASIA domain. From February 20, 2008, the 搇andrush?begins, meaning registration is open to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements?- a  person or a corporation that is a legal entity in the .ASIA community? First-come, first-served registration is expected to begin in March.