OnlineDomain.com Domain Name News & Opinions
The GSM Association, that is located in the United Kingdom, sent a letter to ICANN regarding applications for closed gTLDs .MOBILE and .PHONE. The letter from GSMA actually supports the Donuts applications for .phone and .mobile.
The GSMA, the trade association representing the interests of mobile operators worldwide, is concerned about the applications by two commercial organisations (Amazon EU S.à r.l. and Dish DBS Corporation) to operate the new gTLD strings .MOBILE and .PHONE on a ‘closed’ basis.
.Phone has one more applicant except for Dish DBS Corporation that is Donuts. .Mobile has again one more applicant except for Amazon EU S.à r.l. and Dish DBS Corporation and that is Donuts as well.
GSMA believes that the string .MOBILE, in particular, will be closely identified with their mobile wireless community, yet – if operated on a closed basis – would be unavailable to the vast majority of participants in the mobile services industry and members of the mobile wireless community. They believe strongly that this will harm competition in the mobile services marketplace and expose mobile subscribers to the likelihood of confusion and deception in their choice of mobile services and providers. As a result, consumers, GSMA members, and other members of the mobile wireless community will be harmed.
A similar concern about exclusive ownership of closed generic TLDs was expressed by Australia in its Early Warnings, and is shared by trade associations and corporations in many other industry sectors who are also fearful of the consequences of closed gTLDs in terms of impact on consumers and threat to competition. GSMA too shares this concern and would appreciate the opportunity to meet with ICANN to find out how we can best engage with ICANN to ensure that the voice of the mobile industry is heard and that our members and their customers are protected.
Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities.
With the advent of the new gTLDS being introduced, its effect will severely impact the Search Engine Marketing Sector. According to MIT (Mass. Inst.Tech.) type-In traffic will be expanded rapidly and will be common place. Consumers are very reluctant to change and there are studies to prove that they will avoid doing business on a non-.COM site. This splintering and dividing of the Search Engine Market bodes well for a brilliant future, for Pure Play Generic .COM Profit Centers. M I T foresees Type-Ins, We foresee a seachange shift into .COM Profit Centers.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)