Non-Latin internet address decision may ‘boost advanced web hosting’

Web hosting websites will now be able to make use of non-Latin characters in internet addresses, following the approval of a new process.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board has approved a new Internationalised Domain Name Fast Track Process.

Commenting on the announcement, ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush described the decision as the biggest technical change to the internet since it was first created.

He explained: "Right now Internet address endings are limited to Latin characters – A to Z.

"But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the world online for domain names."

Preparation for this launch has taken years of technical testing and policy development, to ensure that the world’s internet users and web hosting webmasters are all on board.

WordPress was recently recommended as an excellent platform for ecommerce companies to build a website.

The new guidance on non-Latin characters will add a new dimension to this web hosting system.

Written by Jessica Lighthouse