Summary:
Until recently, the Root Zone was limited to a set of characters conforming to US-ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) or "Latin" alphabets. This changed with the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which introduced top-level domains (TLDs) in different scripts and enabled Internet users to access domain names in their own language.
Specifically, the approval of the IDN country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) Fast Track Process by the ICANN Board at its annual meeting in Seoul, South Korea in October 2009, enabled countries and territories to submit requests to ICANN for IDN ccTLDs representing their respective country or territory names in scripts other than US-ASCII characters. For information on countries and territories that have completed the IDN ccTLD Fast Track process, click here.
Most recently, the new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program, approved at the ICANN meeting in Singapore in June 2011, will allow for the first time the addition of IDN gTLDs into the root zone. More information on the new gTLD program is available at ICANN's New gTLD site and gTLD policy related material from the GNSO is located here.
Working Group List:
- Joint ccNSO GNSO IDN WG - http://gnso.icann.org/group-activities/jig-wg.htm
- Internationalized Registration Data WG - http://gnso.icann.org/group-activities/ird-wg.htm
Other Material:
- For information relating to topics like the ccTLD IDN Fast track process, or IDN Variant TLDs, visit: http://www.icann.org/en/resources/idn
- Introduction to Internationalized Domain Names (Webinar)
Archive:
- GNSO Council Comments on IDNC WG Final Report
- Outcomes Report of the GNSO Internationalized Domain Names Working Group (IDN WG), 22 March 2007
- GNSO IDN Working Group Agenda and Relevant Documents, 6 February 2007
- GNSO IDN Working Group Agenda and Relevant Documents, 30 January 2007
- GNSO Issues Report - Policy Issues Relating to IDN at the Top-level - Excerpt Power Point, 29 January 2007
- GNSO IDN Working Group Agenda and Relevant Documents, 23 January 2007
- Draft IDN issue list - GNSO IDN WG, 22 December 2006
- Document excerpts for the IDN WG
- GNSO IDN Working Group
- Revised Draft ToR for GNSO IDN Policy Development Activities - 12 October 2006
- GNSO Issues Report - Policy Issues Relating to IDN at the Top-level (Draft report, work in progress 2 August 2006)
- Issues Report (Draft report, work in progress 17 July 2006)
- GNSO IDN Work - Dr. Bruce Tonkin
- GNSO Working Group of Volunteers on IDN Issues (Mailing List Archives)
- Preliminary Issues Report