The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has voted to approve the lifting of restrictions on the classification of domain names, allowing for new customised Web addresses such as www.itunes.store, www.hotels.sydney.au and www.smh.paper.au.

Who are ICANN?

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organised, public benefit non-profit company based in southern California. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

More than 1500 delegates from 70 countries gathered in Paris for ICANN's latest meeting.

What will change?

This overhaul is expected to radically change the way users navigate the internet. Domain names may become easier to remember but the change may also result in a maze of new domain name options causing confusion for internet users.

Organisations or individuals will be able to register domain names with less restrictions.

This change will provide more choices for customers such as the online trading site eBay who will be able to register www.ebay. Also, organisations within specific product groups may also be looking for new names such as .bank or .car.

Cities could benefit too from this change, with the German capital hoping for .berlin or Melbourne been able to register .melbourne.

The system is open to anyone, but applicants have to have a "business plan and technical capacity" to be eligible. The organisation must work out many details, including fees for obtaining new names, expected to exceed $US100,000 each to help ICANN cover up to $US20 million in costs.

Why did this change come about?

With the stock of available web addresses under the current IPv4 protocol set to run out by 2011, ICANN has been under pressure to find a solution for burgeoning demand.

When will the change come about?

ICANN said it would begin accepting applications for new domains in April of 2009, with the first expected to be in operation by the end of 2009.

Some Interesting Facts

• Currently there is a limited range of 21 top level domains to choose from such as names that we are all familiar with like .com, .org, .info.
• The largest top-level domain is .com, with 76 million addresses.
• The second largest is.de, the country code for Germany, with 11.2 million addresses.
• The third largest is .net, with 10.6 million addresses.
• The fastest growing domain is .cn, for China, with 10.5 million addresses.
• .info has 5 million addresses with around 650,000 added every year
• .biz -- the 10th-most popular, has 2 million addresses