UAE Network Information Center announces plans to target business & government sectors

An autonomous body formed under the auspices of Etisalat, UAEnic is the sole authority that manages domain name registration under the .ae Top Level Domain (TLD).

According to ISO 3166 standard codes, .ae (Arab Emirates) is the two-letter country code, referred to as the TLD, in Internet terminology, assigned to the UAE by the International Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN).

It also serves as one of the Local Internet Registries (LIR) in the country to assign Internet addresses to the local Internet community.

Mr. Abdulla Hashim, UAEnic Manager, said that the body was committed to promoting the Internet and name of the UAE in cyber-space by encouraging both individuals and organizations to have their own domain names under .ae.

".ae is the digital online identity of the UAE. Apart from representing the country on the Internet, this TLD also plays a critical role in extending its global reach. The rapid adoption of the .ae domain name in the UAE, especially within the business and government sectors is a national obligation and will serve to enhance the online presence of the UAE and will be in line with the recent e-government and e-education initiatives that have been launched in the country."

Mr. Hashim further pointed out that over the past three years, there has been a growing global trend among businesses, government departments and even individuals, to be present on the Internet under their Country Code TLD as compared to the .com TLD.

"Being assigned a domain name of choice under the .com TLD is no longer assured, as it is fast reaching saturation point. By opting for a country code TLD, businesses and government departments can maintain the integrity of their presence on the Internet, on the one hand, and be more closely associated with their country of origin, on the other," he added.

UAEnic will also play a crucial role in protecting the interests of its customers through the proper management of their domain names. To simplify registration formalities of domain names, the official UAEnic website, which can be accessed at the URL prompt of www.uaenic.ae, carries in depth information on the necessary procedures, for the benefit of customers in the UAE.

Mr. Hashim added that UAEnic has embarked on a series of initiatives aimed at promoting the .ae Top Level Domain among business houses and the government sector in the UAE.

"By way of a gradually implemented strategy, UAEnic will encourage organizations, professionals and individuals to come forward and register their domain names under .ae. Forming part of this strategy will be targeted forums such as road-shows and seminars," he added.

Apart from being active within the country, UAEnic has also taken several steps to raise awareness about the internationalisation of domain names among the regional Internet community.

To this end, UAEnic organized two workshops on the Internet Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the emerging technical and policy matters with regard to the Arabization of Domain Names, in Dubai this year.

Additionally, UAEnic has also represented the country in several international forums and seminars organised by bodies such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and RIPE. UAEnic is also the founding member of the Arabic Internet Name Consortium (AINC), a newly formed consortium with a mandate to address the issues concerning the Arabization of domain names.