AFNIC/CORE chosen by the Ville de Paris to manage the .paris extension

Background

There are currently 186 million registered domain names in the world, with demand continuing to grow. It was in this context that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) launched a process to create new top-level internet extensions (such as .com, .org and .net), just over a year ago.
Over the course of the next few years, the internet could well see the appearance of hundreds of new extensions based on geography (.paris, .berlin, .africa, etc.), culture and linguistics (.cym, .gal, .indigi, etc.) or topics (.eco, .food, .sport, etc.).

Selection

In June 2008, the Ville de Paris announced its intention to bid for the .paris domain extension. In order to comply with the various technical specifications required in order to manage a top-level internet extension, and laid down by ICANN as part of the application procedure, the Ville de Paris found it necessary to enlist the services of a technical operator.
It therefore decided to tap into the alliance that is AFNIC and CORE, managers of .fr and .cat respectively. (Launched in 2005, the latter extension aims to promote Catalan culture.) This Franco-Swiss alliance will firstly be responsible for ensuring that the bid complies with the various technical specifications laid down by ICANN. It will then become the official operator of the .paris extension on behalf of the Ville de Paris, under a service concession arrangement.

Why .paris ?
There are many reasons why users will be keen to register a .paris domain name :

for private individuals, associations and certain institutions, a .paris website will demonstrate their affiliation with the Parisian community ;

for service providers, whether trading, non trading, commercial or cultural, a .paris domain name is evidence of close ties with the city, which can only strengthen their on-line presence ;

for major brands and trademark owners, a .paris domain name could provide additional leverage to promote their image, particularly in the tourism, restaurant, fashion and luxury sectors, etc.

Schedule
ICANN is accepting applications at the end of the first half of 2010. These will then be examined during the course of the year. Assuming that this schedule is adhered to, the .paris domain name extension could be launched at the beginning of 2011.

Mathieu Weill, Managing Director of AFNIC :
“AFNIC and CORE have opted to join forces in order to ensure the success of the .paris project and to place it at the heart of digital economy development. With the .paris project, we are hoping to promote the emergence of innovative internet uses and services.�?

About AFNIC
(Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération )
Non-profit organization, AFNIC is in charge of the administrative and technical management of the .fr (France) and .re (Reunion Island) Internet domain names.
AFNIC brings together public and private members: representatives from the French government, Internet users and Internet Service Providers (Registrars).
Further information.
 
About CORE
CORE Internet Council of Registrars is a not-for-profit organisation governed by Swiss law and based in Geneva. It develops, manages and promotes resources designed to facilitate domain name registration, particularly for the launch of new extensions. The association is currently responsible for the technical management of the .cat and .museum extensions. Its members are domain name registrars located in various countries.
Further information