Businesses and individuals in Bahrain will soon get the opportunity to register their websites with the country-specific “.bh” top-level domain name.
So far, mostly government entities have had permission to use this domain name.
Now, the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has launched its promotional campaign to introduce the mechanisms for registering new domain names for.bh.
It has clarified that the domain names will be made available to businesses and the public in an easy and accessible manner, but in stages.
A domain name is a name in English or Arabic letters chosen to be the address and the identity of the website and its services.
The TRA manages and regulates the domain name registration services of Bahrain in both languages.
During the fourth quarter of 2021, registration is initially expected to be open for trademark and copyright holders, followed by locally based entities and institutions and individuals, and then to the international public.
Domain names are expected to be available for assignment with mainly IT companies, including telecommunications companies licensed by TRA wishing to assign domain names on behalf of TRA so that assignment is available for local and international customers.
The new process of registration is expected to cut the time of registration from days to minutes.
The move is said to be aimed at accelerating Bahrain’s drive to deliver an increasing number of its services online.
Director of Cyber Security &Technical Affairs, Mohamed Abdulla Alnoaimi, was quoted by an official statement as saying: “The registration of the domain name of Bahrain gives a Bahraini identity to local trademarks in particular or to individuals in general who are interested in the technology field.”
This, he said, would distinguish them “from the rest of the names of other websites in the Internet world.”
This campaign is also expected to clarify the various options for registering domain names for websites, including global domain name registration websites, introducing the process of moving from one registrar to another in the event the domain name owner wants to move, and clarifying mechanisms for filing complaints and resolving disputes in the event of a dispute over the right to use between domain name owners, etc.