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A New Era for Domain Names: Inside the Plans for the Next gTLD Round

ICANN doesn’t run the internet, but it helps keep it working by coordinating key parts like domain names and IP addresses. It uses a multi-stakeholder model, which means governments, businesses, technical experts, civil society and users all take part in decision-making. The new gTLD program is the result of many years of policy work done in this model, with thousands of volunteer hours behind it.

The previous round of new gTLDs, launched in 2012, brought a big change to the domain name space. Before that, most people only knew a handful of top-level domains such as .com, .org, or country codes like .ee and .lv. The 2012 round opened the door to many more endings: brand TLDs like .google, city and region names like .berlin, and all kinds of generic terms. Another major step was the introduction of internationalized domain names (IDNs) in different scripts, such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic and others. As for many and Chirs, IDNs were a key reason he came to see the program as important, especially after visiting places like the Middle East, India, China and Japan and seeing how much local communities cared about being able to use their own scripts online.

Now ICANN is preparing the “next round” of new gTLDs. So who might want to apply for a new gTLD this time? According to Chris, there is strong interest from several groups: communities, brands, geographic regions and IDN applicants. Some may want a TLD for community identity, some to strengthen a brand, some to set their own registration policies, and some to highlight a location. He expects applications in all of these categories.

However, Chris was clear: running a TLD is not like buying a normal domain name. Many companies at first think it is simple: they pay a fee, get “their” TLD and let their IT team handle it. In reality, applying for a gTLD means taking responsibility for a piece of the global internet infrastructure. Registry operators must be technically capable, financially solid and able to meet strict rules over the long term. The program is designed on a cost-recovery basis, which means ICANN sets the application fee to cover the costs of running the program, not to make a profit. After complex modelling, the base application fee is a bit over 220,000 USD. On top of that, applicants must plan for staff, systems, and ongoing registry fees.

Because ICANN’s core mission is the security, stability and resilience of the DNS, the goal of the program is to welcome strong, responsible operators, not people who underestimate the task. To make the process fairer and more efficient this time, two major support tracks are already running before the application window opens.

The first is the Applicant Support Program. This program also existed in the last round but was barely used. The community wanted to see more geographic and organizational diversity among TLD operators, so they created a way to support eligible applicants who might not otherwise be able to participate. This includes nonprofits, charities, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, indigenous and tribal organizations, and small or social enterprises in developing economies. These groups can already apply for support. If accepted, they can receive a reduced evaluation fee, lower ongoing fees, and perhaps most importantly, expert guidance. ICANN has built a network of pro bono advisors who help these applicants understand what is needed to run a registry. Chris said that around 50–60 organizations worldwide are actively working on their support applications, and they come from every region.

The second track is the Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program. Many gTLD applicants will not run the technical backend themselves. Instead, they will choose a registry service provider. To avoid repeated testing for each application, ICANN is pre-testing and pre-approving these providers now. The evaluation is already underway, and the list of approved providers will be published at the end of 2025. That way, when the new gTLD application window opens in April 2026, applicants can pick a vetted technical partner from a public list, which should save time and increase confidence.

Chris then walked through the timeline. The application window for the Applicant Support Program closes in November 2025, with decisions expected by the end of the year. The new Applicant Guidebook, the massive document that explains every rule and step in the process, is being finalized and should be approved and published by the end of this year as well. Chris joked that he printed it out again to compare it to the 2012 version and found it even bigger: about 400 pages, half of which are appendices - a sign of just how complex the process is.

Once the guidebook and the list of pre-approved registry service providers are available, the real preparation phase begins. The new gTLD application window is scheduled to open in April 2026. From there, applicants will go through a long journey of evaluation, possible objections, and, in some cases, contention resolution if there are multiple applications for the same string.

During the question-and-answer session, one audience member asked about bidding and auctions. In the last round, some contention sets were resolved through private auctions where the winning bidder paid large sums, sometimes tens of millions of dollars, to secure a popular string. Chris explained that the community wanted to avoid this kind of “gaming” and private deal-making. In the new round, ICANN’s rules try to limit private arrangements and give more structured ways to handle contention. Applicants can name a second-choice string and switch if they end up in a crowded contention set. If no other solution is found, an ICANN-run auction remains possible, but only as a last resort.

What about the .est domain that many Estonians are looking forward to being able to register one day? Chris used this to explain the complex rules around geographic names and three-letter codes. The community decided that certain three-letter strings linked to country codes or geographic identifiers, based on ISO standards, cannot be applied for as gTLDs. That means .est, and other similar strings, are effectively blocked. He noted that this rule can also affect companies whose initials match a reserved code. While he did not comment on whether this was good or bad policy, he made it clear that, under current rules, .est is not possible.