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[/frame]Namecheap has joined the new TLD initiative, which will allow customers to buy hundreds of new top level domains. As such you will now be able to register TLDs such as .online, .music, .inc, and so much more through Namecheap – personally one of my favorite domain name providers.
If you haven’t read up about it yet, the new TLD initiative works like this. ICANN approves a TLD (IE: .car, .lawyer, .online) and the registry announces its launch plan. While this plan may differ slightly with each TLD, most will go through 3 phases. The Sunrise phase allows trademark owners an opportunity to register domains containing their mark. The next phase is Landrush, opening up the ability for anyone to secure the name they want before the TLD goes live. Finally, the domains go into General Availability, where the general public can register these domains in real time.
Namecheap is getting involved in much the same way as GoDaddy did. You’ll be able to pre-order the domains you want, and track news regarding specific TLDs using Namecheaps checklist feature. You can read more about Namecheap’s role in the new TLD launch here.