Date Set for Second-Level .au Domain Names Launch

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There has been significant improvement in technology and security in many countries across the globe, and Australia does not want to be left behind. Australia wants to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to technology. In 2016, the governing body of the .au domain names – au. Domain Administration Ltd – announced that the company would launch second-level domain name registrations. The launch date is now closer, as the company just revealed it.

The Launch Date of Second-Level .au Domain Names

The launch was initially scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019. However, they delayed the launch and shifted the date. They recently announced the new launch date of the second-level au. Domain names. According to the announcement, the new launch date is March 24, 2022.

With this development, individuals and companies would be able to use domains such as “mywebsite.au” instead of “mywebsite.com.au.” Australia is trying to meet up with other countries such as the UK, which launched second-level domain registrations back in 2014.

Afilias, who was appointed to manage the registry operations of the .au domain names, recently announced the launch date of the second-level .au domain names. He said that this innovation would bring the country in line with the United States (.us), Canada (.ca), United Kingdom (.uk), and New Zealand (.nz).

Having a second-level or direct-level namespace would allow organisations and individuals in Australia to license eye-catching and short domain names. These short domain names are very easy to type, and they display on mobile devices also. This latest addition would complement the already existing options such as .net.au, .com.au, asn.au, id.au, and .net.au that the Australia administrator is managing.

Is a Second-Level .au Domain Name a Controversial Move?

According to some third-level domains owners, the introduction of a second-level domain name is a controversial move. Most of them are worried about the additional fees that they have to pay to protect their brands. Many people still prefer .co.uk to .uk in the UK. Five years after the launch of the second-level domain in the United Kingdom, only 10 percent of new domain registrations were at the second level.

However, the timetable of Australia is much shorter than .uk. In the UK, third-level uk. domain owners were given about five years to pay and secure their corresponding second-level domains before releasing them to the public. Unfortunately, third level .au domain owners in Australia do not have that much time. They had only six months to secure their matching second-level .au domains before they would be released to the public.

From March next year, third-level domain owners in Australia will be able to apply and secure their matching second-level .au domain names. The process would be much quicker if there were no corresponding domain names in other second-level domains like org.au, .net.au, and .com.au.

The introduction of second-level au. domain names is a welcome development, as Australia does not want to be left behind in the development and growth around the globe. However, this development seems to create a lot of complications and concerns for third-level domain owners in Australia because of the migration process and the additional fees.

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Written by The Original PC Doctor on 19/08/2021.

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