Nominet Announces The Launch Of .cymru And .wales Domains This Autumn

Nominet, the body which oversees .uk domains, has just confirmed that the .cymru and .wales generic top-level domains will go live come September.

These Welsh-specific domains have been approved by ICANN, and Welsh businesses and consumers alike will be able to secure their own website using them.

The actual launch will be carried out in stages, starting on 1 September when those with a registered trademark will be able to stake their claim and register their domain – and they'll be followed in very short order by businesses or organisations without a trademark who can prove they have a valid claim to the use of a brand name in Wales. Then the final phase of the rollout will start on 1 March 2015, when anyone will be free to grab their own .cymru and .wales domain.

First Minister Carwyn Jones commented: "The new domain names create a fantastic opportunity for Wales that support development of businesses, communities and the Welsh language online. It means we could use the top-level domain names to establish a strong online presence, which truly reflects our national identity".

Edwina Hart, Business Minister, further chipped in: "The new domains have the potential to bring significant economic benefits to Wales. They will strengthen Wales's global identity, promote business growth and encourage the exploitation of digital technologies across all sectors".

As you may be aware, the .london gTLD generated major interest recently, with some 100,000 firms declaring their intent to secure one as bidding on the domain names began at the end of last month.