Job postings suggest licensing process might be progressing.
Top level domain name companies have been eagerly waiting for the Chinese government to issue licenses that will allow Chinese citizens to be able to host sites on their domains in China. The government might be taking a step forward, based on recent job postings.
As background, China’s MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) requires that every domain registry get a license in order for their domains — registered and intended for use in China — to be hosted in China. This license allows end-users in China to register their website with the domain extension with their government and ultimately to use hosting services within China.
While people can host their domains outside of China, this poses some difficulty for bandwidth and relevance to the Chinese market.
The approvals process for getting these licenses has dragged on, putting many domain registries in a pickle.
Now, Chinese consultancy Allegravita spotted that the director in charge of these approval certificates posted two job ads on a popular Chinese job site. The listings suggest that the positions are to work on this approval process.
This might be a sign that the licensing process is moving forward. A lot of people have their fingers crossed.
Andrew-how would you think this might bear on europe’s extension re .de .ch or .in etc. ? Thank you
As any analyst would say, the mere anticipation of this development is (already) a boon for gTLDs.
Thanks for the post, Andrew.
Andrew, thanks for your post, and for noticing our post! Yesterday and today, anticipation and excitement wasn’t limited to only our foreign registry clients — the Chinese domainer elite, the Chinese aftermarket platforms and the Chinese registrars were all abuzz on the various private forums we work within. It is important to remember that the Chinese industry has invested heavily in inventory (and not just in New G’s — the MIIT regulations governing all domains, from Verisign’s all the way down to the most obscure ccTLDs). Bei An approvals for the first batch of New G’s will result in an immediate increase in value and trading activity China-side. The TLDs which applied early (and are relevant to Chinese brands and businesses) will enjoy the most meaningful immediate benefits. Keep up the good work covering the China market, Andrew, and greetings from Hangzhou!
Simon-may I ask-have you seen the .ch (Swiss and very aged) extension taking hold yet in China? Thank you and thank you for posting.
Hi John. We’ve had our Beijing-based consultancy >13 years now, and we work with practically every Chinese registrar and aftermarket platform, but I’m sorry to say .ch doesn’t have traction. It isn’t available for registration from either of China’s two biggest registrars and I couldn’t find it in a random check of 2nd and 3rd tier registrars. The NIC will need to apply for bei an approval if it wishes to be in the retail channel, and some provinces have already indicated they won’t allow any ccTLD registrations that aren’t .cn.
Hi @Simon Cousins,
Did Verisign apply early,
Best Regards,
– Chris
No, but Verisign is treated a little differently Chris. It’s complicated.
can you tell me why .top is doing as well in China and do you see .top being one of the main gtlds in China
please
Dave