The DotAsia Organisation - About DotAsia Organisation

The DotAsia Organisation

DotAsia Organisation is the Sponsoring Organisation and Registry Operator for the .ASIA Sponsored Generic Top Level Domain. DotAsia is a not-for-profit, community-based organisation incorporated in Hong Kong. Asia has developed into a global force in the international commercial, political and cultural network. The .ASIA domain aspires to embrace this dynamism in the Asia Century to become a nucleus, intersection and breeding ground for Internet activity and development in the region.

The mission of the DotAsia Organisation is:

To sponsor, establish and operate a regional Internet namespace with global recognition and regional significance, dedicated to the needs of the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific Internet community.
To reinvest surpluses in socio-technological advancement initiatives relevant to the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific Internet community; and
To operate a viable not-for-profit initiative that is a technically advanced, world-class TLD registry for the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific community.

Need for an Asia-specific regional domain
Currently, Internet users in the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific region only have the option of utilising a generic TLD (gTLD) whose registrants are dominated by US and European individuals and businesses, or country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) that are intended for local use. According to VeriSign Global Registry Services , only 11% of .com and .net (the two largest gTLDs) registrants came from Asia . However, Global Reach estimates that over 64% of the Internet's population are non-English speakers and that Asian languages alone make up 33% of the online population. While current gTLDs tend to focus on a vertical group (e.g. commercial entities, network providers, organisations , etc.) within the global Internet, “.Asia” will embrace a horizontal perspective with a clear brand to reach and enrich the broad global community. Unlike ccTLDs, which provide for a local audience, “.Asia” will allow the user to express membership in the larger Asian community.

Organisational Structure
The DotAsia Organisation is a membership-based not-for-profit corporation made up of different membership bodies from ICANN's Asia / Australia / Pacific Region, including: Sponsor Members (organisations that operate ccTLD registries in the region) and Co-Sponsor Members (Internet, Information Technology, Telecommunications, non-profit, NGO or other relevant community organisations in the region). These members will make up DotAsia Organisation's 11-person Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will be advised on policy matters by an Advisory Council populated by one representative from each Co-Sponsor Members. In addition, a Proceeds Steering Committee (PROSCOM) will be created and appointed by the Board to oversee the allocation of surplus proceeds from registry operations.

Governance and Representation of the Community
The governance of the DotAsia Organisation is driven by ccTLDs and augmented by regional expertise. As a membership-based organisation, the direct and close involvement of many ccTLDs ensures a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the operational and policy management of a TLD registry in the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific region. Furthermore, representation in governance from successful Asia Pacific Internet and Information Technology groups provides broad representation and relevance from the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific community.