Capital ponders .London top-level domain

The UK capital is considering applying for a licence to operate a new top-level domain (TLD), .London, in order to promote the city and deliver more effective public services.

London & Partners, official promotional agency for the city, said it is now entering into a consultation phase, which includes liaising with the Mayor of London, to assess what benefits a new TLD could provide for the city.

"The Mayor of London is keen to see a greater use of the digital world to deliver more effective public services for the city, and sees this as a potential opportunity to build on London’s position as a global centre for digital innovation," London & Partners, said in an announcement on Thursday.

"In addition to enhancing the promotion of the capital, London & Partners is investigating what opportunities the ownership of the TLD licence could bring in terms of harnessing commercial revenue streams and new job creation, whilst ensuring value for money," the company added.

According to the company, a number of other cities, including New York, Sydney, Paris, Rome and Berlin, are also investigating the possibility of applying for a 10-year Icann licence to operate a new TLD.

The non-profit Icann organisation, which manages IP addresses, will take applications for new TLDs between 12 January and 12 April, 2012. This will be followed by a review process which can "take anything from 9 – 20 months", London & Partners, said.