Internet Domain Registrars increases length of Internet domain names

 By Jennifer Jones

Internet domain names can now be up to 67 characters long under a new plan introduced Thursday by Internet Domain Registrars, a San Francisco-based company.

 Internet Domain Registrars is one of several companies approved recently by the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to dispense Internet domain names.

 The company positioned the 67-character option -- an alternative the standard 26-character limit - as a way to add possibly millions of new domain name combinations.

 ICANN in 1998 gave Internet Domain Registrars, along with several other companies, authority to market domain name registration services in order to create competition in the domain name industry once monopolized by Network Solutions.

 International Data Corp. estimates that the number of registered domain names could swell to 13.1 million by 2003.

 Internet Names Global, is at www.internetservicecentre.com.

Jennifer Jones is an InfoWorld senior editor.

Long domain names 67 Character domain names now available join groups like the American Medical Association who can now  use their own name .com