New kid on the block

After months of waiting, the ".asia" domain is now available for potential users to earmark.

Companies will be permitted to register domains that coincide with their trademarks, and governments may select names under a reserve list.

Potential destinations ending in .asia will be available to the general public in February '08. The first domains will go live in March '08.

.asia will be following a different purchase procedure from the typical .com or .net. For coveted domains, the DotAsia Registry has opted to use an auction, awarding popular names to the highest-bidding organization.