Businesses and consumers can look forward to using Chinese characters in their website address to better reach their customers or friends who prefer Chinese web addresses. The Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), the national registry for domain names.

This opens up new options for domain names, as anyone can soon register for Web addresses such as .sg so that their target market or audience can better identify with them. SGNIC will offer these Chinese domain names at both 2nd and 3rd levels in all categories (namely, .sg, .com.sg, .gov.sg, .org.sg, .edu.sg, .net.sg, .per.sg). For instance, a 2nd level domain name would be .sg, while a 3rd level domain name would read as .com.sg.

SGNIC General Manager Lim Choon Sai said “SGNIC hopes to give users greater choices and also add to the range of domain names available here. We believe this is timely given the growing interest, especially among businesses here, to reach the Chinese markets, which may feel more comfortable using their own language.”

The launch of Chinese domain names follows a slew of new domain name choices offered here in the past two years, including the release of single-character and pure numeric domain names. Other countries, especially where English is not the primary language such as China, Japan and South Korea, have started using domain names in their primary languages. SGNIC will continue to monitor market demand and developments and consider offering domain names in other languages.

Registration of Chinese domain names will be phased according to the schedule below, with single-character Chinese domain names, such as .sg and numeric domain names in Chinese such as .sg to be available for a premium during the first three phases of registration:

1. Phase 1: Government Agencies (23 Nov 2009 – 31 Dec 2009)
2. Phase 2: For Trademark holders (7 Jan 2010 – 18 Feb 2010)
   • Multiple applications will be subject to bidding.
   • TM holders need to be registered with the Intellectual Property of Singapore (IPOS). Service marks will not be eligible.
3. Phase 3: For All (25 Mar 2010 – 6 May 2010)
   • Multiple applications will be subject to bidding.
   • All entities may apply but will be subject to a priority fee.
4. General Launch (10 Jun 2010 onwards)
   • All entities may apply.

Please refer to www.sgnic.sg for more details.