DUBLIN, Ireland, February 12 /PRNewswire/ -- - Leading Mobile Associations Welcome the Introduction of dotmobi

Mobile Top Level Domain (mTLD) today announced the rollout plan for the new mobile-friendly dotmobi domain name. Dotmobi provides the world's first domain name optimised for consumers using the Internet on a mobile device.

The rollout will commence with the "Sunrise Registration Period" for trademark holders in June 2006, followed by the "General Registration" in September. mTLD is working closely with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), registrars, copyright bodies and site owners to ensure that trademarks are properly protected during the Sunrise Period.

The Sunrise Period will be unique in this case as mTLD plans to offer the mobile industry a week long advance period to register their trade and service marks, at the end of May. This week long period is referred to as the "Limited Industry Sunrise". Leading mobile industry associations such as the GSM Association (one of mTLD's founding investors), CTIA - The Wireless Association(R), and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) among others have lined up to support the dotmobi sunrise for their membership.

"Dotmobi's sunrise launch is an important milestone in the path towards making internet access from mobile handsets easy, quick, reliable and rewarding," said Ameet Shah, Chief Strategy and Development Officer of the GSMA. "We are delighted our members have the opportunity to be in at the very start of something very exciting" he added.

"It is through wireless technology that many Americans will experience broadband for the very first time. This announcement is yet another indication of the consumer's strong desire to access the Internet and other data services wirelessly. Ensuring predictable and reliable Internet access from any device on any network is an important topic for CTIA - The Wireless Association(R)," said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA.

"We are pleased that MMA members will have an opportunity to participate in the dotmobi sunrise registration period. Dotmobi will become a catalyst to simplify the mobile web experience for millions of consumers worldwide," said, Laura Marriott, Executive Director of the Mobile Marketing Association.

Neil Edwards, General Manager of mTLD, said, "Dotmobi is the first domain name to garner real support from the some of the world's leading mobile players and associations. We hope to accelerate the number of mobile-friendly websites available to consumers on the internet in 2006 by inviting companies to register their trade and service marks in the dotmobi domain."

After the Limited Industry Sunrise, all companies will be able to register their trade- and service-mark names as a second level dotmobi (e.g., myname.mobi) domain name from June to August 2006. Dotmobi will then be available for registration by the general public in September 2006. Companies and individuals who want to register can get their dotmobi domain names through participating ICANN accredited registrars.

The rollout announcement follows the recent publication of the consultative edition of dotmobi's Switch On! Web Browsing Guides - handbooks to ensure the best possible internet experience for the mobile user.

Organisations can find additional information as well as view showcase sites by referring to the mTLD site. Many of the companies backing mTLD plan to demonstrate dotmobi-based sites at 3GSM, the mobile industry's annual conference and exhibition taking place in Barcelona, Spain in February.

For more information on the dotmobi sunrise program check out mtld.mobi. About mTLD

mobile Top Level Domain Ltd (mTLD) - the joint venture company based in Dublin, Ireland is leading the development of internet usage from mobile devices by switching on the dotmobi domain name. Unique among domain name providers, mTLD ensures that services and sites developed around dotmobi are optimised for use by mobile devices. Consumers on the go can have confidence that the internet site or service will work from their mobile device when using the dotmobi address.

The company gained approval from ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) for the '.mobi' Sponsored Top level Domain (TLD) in the second half of 2005. mTLD is backed by leading mobile operators, network and device manufacturers, and internet content providers. Investors in mTLD include Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM, and Vodafone. mTLD is also a sponsor of W3C's Mobile Web Initiative.

CONTACT: Enquiries: Media and analysts: please contact Rachael Parker,
Sarah Webb or Simon Lloyd at Companycare Communications, Tel:
+44-118-939-5900, Email: pr@mtld.mobi; At 3GSM World Congress: Rachael
Parker: +44-(0)-7920-012328, Sarah Webb: +44-(0)-7967-634438