Nine new Internet domain names, including ".xxx" for adult content and ".mail" for spam-free communications, could join the more familiar ".com" and ".net" Web site suffixes later this year.
Internet governing body the Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN) said 10 organizations had filed proposals for the new Web domains in time for last week's deadline. A month-long public comment period starts on April 1.
The domains, which are sponsored by a variety of organizations and companies, will go through a two-month approval process before possible ratification later this year, the group said.
If each is accepted, it would bring the number of top level domains to over 20.
Among the new entrants is ".mobi", proposed by nine top computer, telecomm and handset companies including Microsoft Corp, South Korea's Samsung Electronics and Finland's Nokia.
The consortium, named Mobi JV, aims to create a new domain specifically for Web sites designed for mobile phones and Internet-ready devices. The group hoped the new domain would be ratified in time to be operational next year.
Other new domain candidates include: ".asia", ".jobs", ".tel", ".post" and ".travel", ICANN said.
Expanding the list of top level domains to meet the needs of the medium's growing user base is one of ICANN's top initiatives.
The new suffixes were proposed to help Web surfers locate sector-specific information on, say, travel and employment.
The London-based Anti-Spam Community Registry, meanwhile, proposed ".mail" to better identify the authenticity of online marketers in an effort to combat spam e-mails.
