How Many TLD Applications Will ICANN Receive?

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How Many TLD Applications Will ICANN Receive?

	By Antony Van Couvering
	June 11, 2008 Views: 9,518 Add Comment

This post could be subtitled: “The Wisdom of Elites.” I polled some people I know in the domain field (plus Andrew Goodman, who wondered what the hell I was going on about). I asked them a simple question:

“For the record, how many new TLD applications do you think there’ll be?”

Only two people shot back the very funny “42.”

Most of these people know the domain name world very well, but from different perspectives. Journalists, registrars, intellectual property attorneys, domainers, registry operators, TLD aspirants, entrepreneurs, domain aftermarket auctioneers, civil society activists. And only one woman—a reflection of the state of the domain industry, and that the clever ones avoid me…

Most answers coagulate around 100 - 150, but they are counterbalanced by very pessimistic estimates on the one hand, and mega-prophecies on the only. Many refused to name a number. The “crystal ball is cloudy,” as David Maher says.

Here then are the results, in no particular order.

By Antony Van Couvering

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