Egypt Announce First Non-Latin Based Web Address Arabic domain extension .masr
Egypt is to be the first Arabic country if not the first country in the world to take advantage of the new newly approved ICANN resolution that was passed last month to allow the creation of non-Latin based domain names such as Arabic, Chinese and other script, this makes if possible for web address to be in non-Latin based characters.
Tarek Kamel the Egyptian communication minister said Egypt will launch a domain name extension called “.masr” , “.masr” is the Arabic word for Egypt. Mr Kamel was excited about the fact that “The Internet now speaks Arabic”
The Egyptian authorities seem not to have wasted time making the new. masr domain extension available. Mr Kamel, who was speaking at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) being held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, said the registration of the new web address would begin at at midnight. Mr Kamel added further that the new domain name extension will bring prosperity to the Arab speaking word as new opportunity and investment to launch and promote the new domain extension will follow. It is estimated that 15 million or the 80 million people in Egypt are Internet users.
Other countries whose alphabets are based on non-Latin script are expected to start launching domain name extensions based on their script. The largest new non- Latin based domain name is expected to be in China.