BEST OF THE WEB

New Quebec Internet names coming

A Montreal firm with the goal of giving Quebec residents and organizations a way of being distinctive on the Web has become the first to register a Canadian provincial top level Internet domain name.

PointQuebec, a not-for-profit partly funded by the Quebec government, has been awarded the .quebec domain now, with plans to become a domain name registry so others in the province can use the extension.

It comes as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers  (ICANN) continues to issue new generic top level domain names such as .click, .hosting, .army and geographic names like. .durban and .wales.

According to a report on CBC.ca, PointQuebec is the first company to be granted a Canadian provincial domain name. The report also says the company hopes to start selling permits for individuals and organizations to use the .quebec suffix on Nov. 13. Pre-registration will start Sept. 2.

Pricing has yet to be announced.

On its Web site the company says having a .quebec suffix will mean Internet users will have a  tool to find and be found quickly on the Web.

A number of Quebec-based corporations use the .com suffix (like Videotron, the Bank of Montreal, Le Mouvement des caisses Desjardins and the Jean Coutu Groupe) or .ca (like BCE Inc.). Provincial departments use gouv.qc.ca. Nationalistic organizations — likely including the provincial government — are expected to want to use the .quebec domain.

 

Howard Solomon
Howard Solomon
Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times. I can be reached at hsolomon [@] soloreporter.com

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

ITW in your inbox

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

More Best of The Web