Nominet announces shortened .uk web domain will be available from summer 2014 in addition to .London
The .uk web domain will be available to use from the summer of 2014 in addition to .co.uk, Nominet has announced.
Roll-out: The .uk domain will be available from summer 2014
The move follows the allocation of the .London domain, announced by ICANN last week, and is part of a greater move to open up 1,400 new web domains in addition to the 22 currently in use.
The changes have been described as the “biggest change to the internet since its inception”.
Nominet said that existing .uk customers will be offered the shorter domain and his a five-year reservation period whether or not to take it, while in instanced where there is competition for a .uk domain between website.co.uk and website.org.uk, the .co.uk registrant will be given first refusal.
Nominet CEO Lesley Cowley said: “The .uk namespace is one of the most popular and trusted available and we’re committed to ensuring it stays up-to-date and relevant.
“We’re excited to offer the option of a shorter, snappier domain name that we believe will appeal to both our existing customers and the business and bloggers of tomorrow.”
The existing .co.uk, .org.uk, .net.uk and other domains will remain available, and Nominet said it hoped to have an official launch date for the .uk domain in February next year.
Ahead of the new domain launches next year, brands and marketers are considering how they will approach any opportunities.