A – Pre strategic study
The decision to create the “.xyz” TLD will have many ramifications. Before making the final decision to apply it will be in the company’s interest to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis beforehand.
In the perspective of the final decision, any organization has to carry out a limited strategic analysis comprising:
- an analysis of benefits and constraints,
- an analysis of legal impacts,
- a understanding of technical constraints including specific background and needs,
- a generic Budget,
- a presentation of gTLD governance.
Some organisations can decide to take the final decision after the pre-strategic study. In that case, they could prefer to choose an operator that would take the process in charge, including the payment of fees when the perspective of benefits are very positive (ie: A registry that would have to manage .london or .paris can setup a very positive Business Plan when it would be more difficult in the case of a middle size city).
B- Strategic study
The strategic study aims to detail all issues presented in the pre-strategic study depending of the requirements expressed by the organisation in order to take the final decision.
In this case, the analysis can cover:
- an analysis of all impacts including strategic, marketing, communication, IT,
- an overhaul legal analysis (contract with ICANN, registry/registrars verticalisation understanding, protection …)
- a understanding of technical constraints including specific background and needs,
- a Business Plan, that depends of the domain policy choose: Are the domains going to be sold? To who? In what conditions?
- a proposal of internal governance based on scenario analysis.
C- Assistance to deal with a gTLD operator (Back-end registry and registrars)
This “back-end” service is critical and there are a number of organisations that provide this kind of service around the world. Most are national and are focused on their national extension (JRS / Japan Registry Services in Japan, Nominet in UK, AFNIC in France…). Others are private companies: Verisign operates the .com and .net …, Afilias operates the .info, .org, .mobi, .asia …, Neustar for .us, .biz … .
Many national registries and a lot of private players are going to propose their services in order to operate new gTLDs extensions.
According to the ICANN policy, the current Registries are not allowed to sell their domains to the users. i.e.: When Verisign operates the .com, it is not allowed to sell any “domain-x.com”. Only companies’ names registrars are allowed to operate.
In the framework of the new gTLD policy, it would be allowed for one player to operate as a Registry and a Registrar. This option is named “vertical integration”.
The vertical integration should be preferred in the case of a “dotCorp”. In the case of cities and regions, both scenarios should be used but in many case, vertical integration.
The choice of the operator needs to take all options into account depending of the requirements of each initiative.
It requests to have a clear understanding of the business plan in order to finalize the financial conditions of the agreement. These conditions will have to be probably adapted to the number of domains. That supposes to get a final agreement that should not be under the pressure of time. Because all technical information needs to be included, that supposes that the agreement should be signed before the end of January 2012. By consequence, the tender towards should be sent in November with an answer expected in December.
We have to take into account that all major potential operators are going to be solicited in the same time. That could add a serious difficulty and change the balance conditions of the deal between clients and providers.
D – Assistance to fulfil the application
The list of the questions shows up how it is important:
- to be able to clearly express the strategy of the organisation,
- to get relevant technical information provided by the operator,
- to give all significant financial information.
E- Follow up of the whole process
Beyond the application, that would be necessary to manage operations like:
- to control the deposit of the application,
- to answer to any request from ICANN.
F- Development of a network of supporters when needed
In the case of cities or communities, that would be necessary to setup a community that will support the project.
Members of the community could be requested in order to participate to the project funding.
G- Other supporting initiatives
To carry out any initiative that could be helpful in order to succeed to get a final positive decision from ICANN.
