DotMobi, the company behind .mobi - the first and only Internet address designed specifically for mobile phones - today announced that it is making approximately 650 city names available to city governments.
Until today, dotMobi has kept these names on reserve to ensure that they would be available for cities to develop relevant content for locals and for tourists.
"With thousands of .mobi sites now live and more than 600,000 domains registered, consumers now understand that sites built on the .mobi domain give them the freedom to take the internet with them, wherever they go," said Neil Edwards, CEO of dotMobi.
"dotMobi gives consumers low-cost access to information they need, where and how they need it. Cities will be able to use their .mobi sites to provide important city-related information to local citizens. These sites will also be able to provide compelling local information for visitors and help increase local tourist dollars," Edwards added.
The first city to trial the process was Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki's investment promotion agency, Greater Helsinki Promotion, created Helsinki.mobi and is also responsible for its continued development and marketing.
Ismo Rantala of Greater Helsinki Promotion said, "Helsinki.mobi has driven traffic and recognition to Helsinki. We are using Helsinki.mobi both as a service for visitors to Helsinki as well as a platform for mobile creativity for our residents and businesses. "
Micah Gland, also of Greater Helsinki Promotion, said, "The launch of Helsinki.mobi was held in conjunction with the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2007. Being able to promote a site like Helsinki.mobi while thousands of visitors were in the city proved to be a good way to encourage use of the site and was reflected in the strong number of 'hits' that Helsinki.mobi received. Even better, the number of visitors to the site has remained steady since then."
City names are being made available for local governments or their designees for an initial period of two years with provisions for renewing the names. A .mobi site can provide an ideal forum to share local news, business updates and civic information plus culture and events listings with an increasingly active resident population. It can also provide a gateway for visitors to access local services, shopping, attractions, transportation and other valuable resources.
To apply, qualified entities submit a short proposal that discusses how the planned domain use provides the mobile community with new features, services and local content. The proposal must also address marketing and promotion plans.
Cities commit to putting live content behind the name within 60 days of their being awarded their domain and agree that content will compliant with dotMobi standards, as based on a 5/5 score on the ready.mobi report, to ensure a good user experience. Expected marketing - such as launch events, public relations and local marketing efforts - are outlined in the application process documentation.
dotMobi will evaluate all proposals, and successful applicants will enter into a contract with dotMobi. The application process opens August 20, 2007, and continues indefinitely.