.sydney

Overview

• .sydney is a geographic top-level domain (GeoTLD) introduced through ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• It is intended as a geo-distinctive online space for entities connected to Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
• The registry technical operator named for the string is ARI Registry Services; the NSW government also engaged Melbourne IT for other consultancy work.

History

• Proposed under ICANN's new gTLD program as a city-specific GeoTLD for Sydney.
• ARI Registry Services was selected by the New South Wales government to provide technical registry functions; ARI prevailed over a joint venture between CoCCA, Sedari, and Cloud Registry that had also applied for .sydney and .melbourne.
• A Registry Agreement signed by ICANN was received by the State of New South Wales on 18 September 2014 after passing Initial Evaluation.
• .sydney was delegated into the DNS root zone on 5 November 2014, completing the successful application for the string.

Usage and Audience

• Target registrants include:
  • Businesses registered and operating in NSW
  • Visitor-economy service providers registered with the NSW Government
  • Local government entities and community groups
  • Residents with an NSW address
• The gTLD is positioned to serve tourism, local business promotion, government and community information, and marketing that highlights Sydney-specific identity.
• The applicant projected uptake of registrations (a forecast) of 36,122 domain names by the end of year three.

Registration Rules

• Eligibility and restrictions:
  • Second-level registrations are restricted to eligible registrants with a connection to NSW as outlined above.
  • Registrants must warrant their eligibility and provide a NSW address or business registration number when registering.
  • Ineligible registrations are treated as abusive and fall within the registry's Anti-Abuse Policy.
• Launch phases and rights protection:
  • The launch plan includes phased openings with two sunrise rounds, a landrush period (where competing applications may be resolved by auction), followed by general availability on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible registrants.
  • Rights protection mechanisms required by ICANN, including use of the Trademark Clearinghouse, are part of the registration process.
• Use and enforcement:
  • Registrants must use .sydney domain names in a manner consistent with the gTLD's mission and purpose and must not contravene relevant State and Commonwealth legislation.
  • The registry reserves the right to suspend or cancel registrations that breach registration policy terms.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The .sydney gTLD is intended to provide a clearly labeled, relevant resource for information related to Sydney, improving discoverability for audiences seeking Sydney-specific content.
• It aims to enhance the Sydney brand by offering a geo-distinctive presence and targeted marketing opportunities for local businesses, community groups, and government bodies.
• The registry's eligibility criteria and anti-abuse measures are positioned to foster trustworthiness and relevance of .sydney domains for users seeking Sydney-related information.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       SYDNEY

organisation: State of New South Wales, Department of Premier and Cabinet
address:      1 Farrer Place
address:      Sydney NSW 2000
address:      Australia

contact:      administrative
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

contact:      technical
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

nserver:      A.NIC.SYDNEY 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.192.10
nserver:      B.NIC.SYDNEY 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.194.10
nserver:      C.NIC.SYDNEY 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.196.10
nserver:      X.NIC.SYDNEY 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.SYDNEY 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.SYDNEY 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     56155 8 2 6f8bec880cb37266b04e5b34a8a61238404ddca2ac3efcfd47bf641e650d3d78

whois:        whois.nic.sydney

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://iconic.sydney

created:      2014-10-30
changed:      2024-04-17
source:       IANA