The global radio community now has an official top level domain name (TLD) as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) makes .radio officially available.

.radio can be used for web and email addresses and will be managed by the EBU with the support of the other world broadcasting unions.

Exceptionally for the internet world, this project is a Community TLD, run for the benefit of the whole radio industry and amateur enthusiasts and reserved for people and companies with active interest in the radio sector.

The following categories will be accepted for the use of a .radio domain:

• Radio broadcasting stations
• Unions of Broadcasters
• Internet radios
• Radio Amateurs
• Radio professionals (journalists, radio hosts, DJs, …)
• Radio-related companies selling radio goods and services
• Radio products and services

Those interested in acquiring a .radio domain name can request one or more .radio domain(s) during the launch period from 23 August to 31 October 2017. The EBU believes radio stations should be the focus of this new space on the internet, and consider them as our highest priority.

However other categories of applications from the radio sector will also be considered during this phase.

“We are proposing that the radio community may like to consider securing the integrity of their web presence by requesting appropriate .radio domains for defensive reasons initially,” says the EBU’s .radio TLD Manager Alain Artero.

“The TLD will be focused on content and matters specific to radio and we want to prevent speculators and cybersquatting in this TLD; this extension will therefore rapidly become a high-value internet space for websites, mail systems and other internet applications, he continued.”

The process during the launch  will not be ‘first come, first served’. The .radio team will seek to optimize domain name allocation to solve contentious issues and prioritize existing radio services.

In November, the general availability will start under the "first come first served" rule but still with eligibility requirements.

HOW TO REQUEST DOMAIN NAMES

To request a .radio domain, interested parties should contact a registrar (company selling internet domains) providing it has signed an agreement to sell .radio domains or the EBU directly which will act as a reseller (www.register.radio). At any time, an owner of a domain can transfer it from a registrar to another.

PRICE

The price for registering a .radio domain name will be different for companies and individuals. It will depend on the registrar offering the product, since registrars themselves define their price and their marketing policy. It also depends whether some additional services are included in the yearly fee (like hosting, mailing).

For companies, a .radio TLD will cost between 220€ and 250€ per domain each year. For individuals, the price will be much lower at around 25€.

The EBU and its partners have been preparing the launch of .radio for 4 years. The project was endorsed by all the leading radio organizations in the world (including ABU, AER, AIB, AMARC, ASBU, AUB, CBU, EGTA, IAB, NABA, OTI, and URTI).

For more information on .radio visit www.nic.radio