London to get its own web domain name from next year

LONDON: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced that London will become one of the first cities to have its own web domain —.london — from the summer of 2014. ICANN signed a contract this week giving the new system a go-ahead.

Experts say the move will be the biggest change in the online world since.com was launched nearly 30 years ago. London mayor Boris Johnson said, " By acquiring a.london address businesses, museums, shops, theatres and galleries will receive a domain name that is easy to remember and instantly identifies them as being located in London. Local businesses are also expected to benefit from consumers looking for services from Londonbased providers helping to attract more customers."

London and Partners, the mayor's official promotional organization for the British capital, applied to ICANN in 2012 to set up and manage the.london domain. Dot London Domains Ltd, a London & Partners subsidiary, will operate the.london registry.