The Dot Mobi Domain Extension

The .mobi suffix, also known as dotMobi, is a top-level domain (TLD) extension that was specifically designed to deliver the internet to mobile devices such as the mobile phone. Since the technology related to mobile phones and their networks is improving, more and more people are accessing the internet through these services and so having a domain extension that targets the mobile user makes great sense.

The .mobi domain was established in 2005 and made available for use in 2006. Its distribution is managed by the mTLD global registry and was originally back financially by Google, Microsoft and the major telecommunication companies with a vested interest in mobile phone technology.

There are no restrictions as such in regard to who can register a .mobi domain extension. Any organisation or individual from any region of the world is free to purchase such domain names as long as their website offers good usability on mobile devices. Since the companies that offer these mobile internet services want to ensure customer satisfaction, it is crucial that internet users who access the web from a mobile device can actually view the pages they are after. Therefore websites operating using a .mobi extension are checked to ensure they are compatible with mobile devices.

While the dotMobi domain name is somewhat of a controversy, the statistics in regard to the number of people accessing the web via mobile networks cannot be argued with. For every computer purchased, about four mobile phones are acquired and the increase in people signing up for mobile phone plans that include internet access means that there is an increasing demand for mobile friendly websites. Generally websites are not designed to be viewed through mobile phones and ensuring that your website is optimised for mobile devices does add to the work load of running a website. But if your website targets users that are likely to view your site through a mobile phone then taking the time to optimise your site for these devices could significantly increase the amount of traffic your site generates.

Since there are such as large number of major telecommunication players that have a financial interest in the dotMobi domain name it can be argued that in the future phone carriers may only support sites that have this extension. For this reason it may be advisable to buy a domain with the .mobi extension now even if it may be some time before you intend to develop a mobile compatible website.

Registering a .mobi domain name can be done through the same process as registering any other domain name. Your domain name can include all characters from A to Z and the numerals 0 to 9. A .mobi domain name can also include hyphens, as long as they are not at the beginning or end of the domain name, but doesn't support the use of spaces or special characters. Anyone wishing to register a .mobi domain name can find out about the availability of the domain name they are after through an accredited domain registrar.

Mobile technology is certainly advancing at an incredibly fast pace and because of this there are many advantages in registering a .mobi domain name. When the use of mobile phones as a means of accessing the internet really takes off you certainly don't want to miss the boat when it comes to securing your own .mobi domain.

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